Current Strength (Book 2)
by FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: Toru gets it he does, really. Bad missions happen all the time, sometimes the information you get has changed. People can't teleport (or, at least, no one alive can teleport) to give information and say the moment everything has changed. Still, Toru thinks his luck is in the negatives the moment decides to keep a fake corpse on him. Just, you know, for in the case of an emergency.
1. Transcendent

_**Alternatively titled: Toru never had to put up with anything like this in Uzushio.**_

* * *

Toru hums as he finishes his packing for his next mission. The mission, technically, doesn't require him to pack anything. It should be a simple in and out mission, steal something and then drop it off to the client and return to Konoha. Toru, though, knows with his luck something will happen and the mission will turn to disaster.

It isn't like all his missions have had some unexpected to them, and there only appears to be one bad mission every three or so weeks. It's enough to make Toru paranoid, though. It gives him an edge and reminds him of his time as an ANBU where he always needed to be on edge. He's starting to feel more like who he had been – power and strength and determined, but also cautious.

It's almost funny _(and one learns to find these things funny when death is at one's doorstep constantly)_ , it's only through the attacks, through relearning the dangers of the world and weaknesses of oneself, that Toru has regained the edge he lost in death, regained his ANBU persona and mindset – but not quite become him yet. They aren't quite two halves or different sides of a coin, but they are different in subtle ways. They are the same, of course, but ANBU is protection first and foremost and emotions pushed aside whereas Toru is protection and mercy entwined with emotions yet capable of making decisions.

It isn't like missions don't always go bad, anyway. Situations can change quickly and the intelligence gathered isn't always old nor is it always gathered. The problem, Toru thinks, is that he's the one who keeps finding the missions harder. Normally without information, a ninja has to just do their mission and hope for the best and go off their client's knowledge – but something odd always happens and it's…

 _It's like they know where I am,_ Toru realises, indignant, and all anger and hate and worry because this is Konoha's corruption, Konoha's sinister side, at work. It's targeting Toru, aiming to attack and kill and Toru is only living because of who he is. Something is out to kill him, and he doesn't think it's because of his position. The changes he's been making–

Konoha was a still pond, ripples only surfacing when the wind gusted over, which wasn't often. Toru's made waves and turned it into a pond where things can be seen, where things can't be hidden. He's upset the balance and made enemies but he had been doing the right thing. Anything after him is the enemy, but that enemy lays hidden in Konoha.

Toru is an ANBU though. He's dealt with traitors before. He's put them down. He will sniff out this one because while Konoha may not be _his_ village, people he cares for live there. Worry gnaws at Toru with that thought, because what if this enemy attempts to use Sasuke or Naruto to manipulate Toru? Except, Toru knows he won't stand for it. He will sink into the shadows and kill from the darkness and he will have his family back and safe. Plus, Naruto is in a safe position due to his status in the village, and Sasuke… well, if he disappeared Naruto would start talking and the enemy probably doesn't want that. They should be safe, but Toru will still try to find this enemy quickly.

Majority of the missions Toru's taken in the past year have only required one ninja, but there are few others where Toru works with one other ninja or on a team. He's growing into his strength just as he's growing his strength.

Toru, slightly weary from his last mission yesterday, still goes when he is called. He's quickly told he's received a new mission, C-ranked, and partnered with an older, more experienced chūnin, and so four hours into the afternoon, Toru is waiting by Konoha's main gate for his partner.

"Toru Uchiha?" Someone calls, and Toru turns on silent feet to see his partner. He nods. "I'm Shizuka Kita, your partner and leader for this mission."

"Pleasure to meet you Kita-san," Toru greets, taking in the other ninja. The shinobi is in normal Konoha uniform, complete with chūnin vest, and has his hitai-ate wrapped around his arm. He has short black hair and is taller than Toru by quite a bit, older as well.

"The pleasure is all mine," Shizuka returns. "Shall we head on out?"

Toru sweeps his eyes around and nods. His eyes catch on a pair of boys in the distance, black against yellow, orange against dark blue, and then he's turning and the two ninjas are gone.

They run silently and quickly. The mission is not one with a time constraint, thankfully, and Toru frowns as he forces himself to keep moving at a rapid speed, his muscles aching from his last mission. He concentrates on the repetitive movements, and sinks into focussing on each step and the leap between one branch and the next. His movements are silent – he is a ninja – and each movement is steady. He concentrates on only using a trickle of chakra, because he doesn't want to leave a chakra path to follow, or – at least – not an easy one to follow. Falling into a rhythm is easy, and soon Toru allows his mind to take him elsewhere.

He thinks about the seals on his right bicep and what they contain within them. One has all of Toru's survival gear along with extra weapons, while the other holds a fake corpse – which Toru has a reason for. It had been the jama-mono's idea and it is a good one. Toru's gotten used to using the Gekitai Suru Clan in fights against fire ninjutsu uses, mainly as a shield. The Clan suggested that Toru create something like a fake corpse so he can catch his opponent unawares, after Toru had mentioned it as a joke, and it had become an actual plan with input from the jama-mono.

They're running next to each other when it happens. Toru flicks his eyes away from the path, checking the sky above to see dark heavy clouds and Toru knows it's going to rain soon. They're somewhere east, almost along the border, _(almost at Uzushiogakure)_.

Toru silently screams as a sword cuts through his skin and muscle. He grunts, and leaps backward, and dark eyes widen when they see their _enemy_ comrade.

 _(He doesn't understand. He doesn't understand. Why is this happening? Why did they turn on him? Is he a traitor? He gave no signs. Why would he kill Toru? There's no reason, no cause. He doesn't understand. WHY?)_

Toru presses a hand against his stomach, and it quickly turns red. He calls up his chakra, angry and hurt, and it surges forward at his control but then the other shinobi flicks through a set of hand seals and ends on tiger. Toru allows his chakra to surge into three seals – two are summoning seals, one is not.

The Gekitai Suru Clan just manage to get in front of the flames as the fiery dragon tries to swallow Toru. Toru leaves behind the fake corpse and leaps back into the forest, utilises a henge, activates the Attention Redirection Seal on his right arm, and moves further back into the forest.

"Gather information," Toru breathes out, his words almost silent, to the other cockroach who had been summoned but doesn't belong to the Gekitai Suru Clan. "I'll call you back, stick with him."

Toru sinks back further into the forest, and stiffens as the other shinobi approaches the faux corpse. The shinobi's face contains no emotion as they check the corpse, before burning it, and Toru – with the flick of a brown tail – starts moving through the undergrowth. As a squirrel, the deep cut still shows up on his stomach, and Toru hopes that the shinobi doesn't see the small blood trail Toru is leaving behind.

When Toru can no longer sense the other shinobi and thinks they aren't close, he loses the henge. He stands on his feet for less than a second, before falling to his knees. He unseals his survival gear and grabs the medical kit, leaving bloody handprints everywhere. He pulls out the bandages, and pulls his top up and does his best to tightly bandage the life-threatening wound.

His heart is pounding in his chest and Toru doesn't feel like he can move. He doesn't want to heal himself, which he could but also shouldn't in case anyone senses the chakra and comes to investigate. The world around him continues to spin, and Toru shivers and tries to breathe.

 _(He doesn't understand, he is loyal. He would give everything for Konoha, would protect Konoha, so why did they turn on him? He doesn't understand.)_

This is the second time Toru is dying in this life, and this could easily be the would that finally kills him for good. No one will look for him and no one will be overly surprised that he was killed with his bad luck in missions recently and the constant attacks he has weathered.

 _(What about Sasuke? What about Naruto? What about Shou? What about Kiku? What about Iruka? Would they care? And if they do care… will they realise something doesn't make sense? He doesn't want to leave Sasuke and Naruto alone, but… but death's embrace is something he almost wants.)_

Breathing is starting to become a struggle, and Toru lets his eyes close, because maybe it's time to stop. He's been alive for a while, he's seen a lot and experienced even more. He's thirty-three and thirteen years, and has almost lived fifty years in total. He's suffered through wars and torture, through betrayals and dead teammates. He has died in a village brought down and lived in another where his family was massacred.

He is tired. It's a truth that he's been almost denying, but not quite. He is tired of living, of life, of trying and failing. He is tired of betrayal after betrayal and trusting, only to have his trust broken. He has lived where teammates have died. He has failed. He has failed so many people, so many of his people. He has failed his parents, his Uzushio genin teammate and sensei, his Konoha sensei, his ANBU team, and Shisui. His cousin who has always believed in him and told him to be careful, to be hidden, to be ready, to watch out.

He constantly fails, and he's tried again and again but nothing has changed. He still fails. They still die. Everything is still wrong. He's tired of everything, of this, of life, of trust betrayed and promises broken and loyalty ignored.

This world is not nice or good and he knows this, but he's tried to change the bit of the world he controls. This is all he is given in response – broken trust, ignored loyalty. His story started in Uzushio and it moved to Konoha and it will die here, in the trees somewhere east in Hi no Kuni, and he will die due to a teammate turning on him, turning against him. He will die because Konoha ordered his death.

 _(He will die and he will be thankful.)_

Toru's eyes close. White bandages continue to be stained by dark red. A heart falters and beats weakly. Rapid breathing starts becoming shallow.

 _(Is a mind broken, a soul dead, a body dying?)_

* * *

Over the past year, ever since the change in the Academy curriculum and system, Sasuke's developed a 'loner' status by others who don't really know him. It's not his fault – well, it is to some extent but Sasuke adamantly denies that – but Naruto is his only friend, and the only reason he became friends with Naruto is through Toru, and Sasuke really doesn't know how to make friends. He can converse with others, but conversations always seem stilted and awkward unless he has someone there to fill in the gaps. It frustrates Sasuke, sometimes, because he doesn't want to seem like a person who no one can talk to. He's fine with just Naruto as his friend, because he has Toru, and – he supposes – Iruka, Shou and Kiku. Still, people keep a wary distance from him and it makes him frustrated and then worried because what if they think he's another _Itachi_ _(kin murderer)_?

Although, Sasuke has to wonder, how he managed to become known as a loner when Naruto is so often by his side, a bumbling ball of sunshine who never stops speaking? Sasuke has to acknowledge though, it's probably because of the fact that he and Naruto don't share every class, which is saddening but Sasuke's grateful for it too, because he spends most of his hours with Naruto and he doesn't know if he could do it all the time.

The Academy system is a bit awkward, simply due to the fact that everyone's classes is shuffled depending on their knowledge and how good their teachers have been. Despite it being Sasuke's fourth year, it doesn't mean that Sasuke is in what's technically the fourth year class for all his subjects. As classes are based more on skill and knowledge then anything, Sasuke jumps between third year and fifth year.

English is a class that everyone smoothly moves into, so Sasuke is still with majority of his classmates from the previous year. English hasn't changed too much, but the way it's taught and what's taught when has changed. The first three years are used for standard reading and writing and all that, _(honestly, Sasuke hadn't been paying attention when they first went through the new study design for English)._ The fourth and fifth years are now used for teaching things like verbal reports and map drawing for during missions and after missions; and Sasuke has no idea why they call the class English when clearly it isn't. Fifth year also includes dealing with mission scrolls and written reports, along with reporting in different situations. Meanwhile, English doesn't go for all his Academy years so Sasuke only has one and a bit years left of English, which is great because the class is a bore.

Thankfully, Sasuke tests out of Geography, which only runs for the first three years. Annoyingly, Naruto doesn't so Sasuke always ends up hearing about stupid kids who are so much younger and Naruto always seems to have so much, _(Toru says he's jealous and Sasuke tells Toru he's wrong, and to sod off – it wasn't worth saying that, as Toru ended up responding stupidly in an idiotic manner and chucking Sasuke over his shoulder and dancing around the apartment)_. On the other hand, at least they're both in the same history class – fourth year, which focusses on the Second War, with the previous year concentrating on the First War, with second year covering the Clan War Era, and first year being about Konoha's founding. Sasuke gets to look forward about learning the Third War next year and his final year is spent on going over Konoha's history in detail.

Sasuke's best achievement is getting into fifth year Taijutsu. The first and second years are all about physical training with a focus on flexibility, strength, and stamina, while also teaching people how to swim. The third and fourth – where Naruto is stuck but seems determined to rise to the same level as Sasuke – years are where students finally start learning the Academy styles, while fifth and sixth years are a mix of training in the Academy style and sparring in different conditions including underwater.

Sasuke's ability with taijutsu, due to Toru's training, manages to get Sasuke into the advanced class for Taijutsu as well, but only fourth year advanced – which is all about harsher physical training. However, Sasuke's looking forward to future years in the class as he gets to learn more taijutsu styles that are more advanced and gets helped to find a style specific for him.

The really awkward class is Chakra Basics and Ninjutsu, which is one class. The old Academy system taught everyone the Academy Three, while the new system only teaches the Academy Three in the last three years, spending the first three years on information regarding chakra. The old Academy system didn't really allow for much of the information on chakra to be taught, and so everyone who was in Sasuke's class – including Naruto – previously have go to classes with students younger than them along with classes for fourth year.

Thankfully, nothing like that happens with Genjutsu class, Weaponry class, First Aid class, and Ninja class, where Sasuke gets put in fourth year along with the majority of his classmates, although Naruto gets pushed into third year for Genjutsu class. The only exception to this is Expectation class, which had previously been called Kunoichi class, but the new Headmaster had disagreed with only females taking the class. The class itself has the potential to be quite interesting. It goes from second year to fifth year. First year of the class focusses introduced how ninjas needed to blend in in numerous situations, and the different expectations between civilian and ninjas concentrating on gender. It also includes how ninjas are expected to use their bodies to complete their missions. The next year concentrates on teaching students mannerisms for opposite genders and the differences in acting like a civilian in comparison to a ninja – and this is the year Sasuke gets stuck in, but at least he's still in a higher year than Naruto. If the Academy system had always been the updated one, then Sasuke would be a year above what he is, and he would learn languages that can be used subtly, such as poetry or flowers.

The other additional classes Sasuke geos to, based on teacher recommendations, are Advanced Weaponry and Advanced Genjutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto gets shoved into Chakra Control class – which Sasuke constantly uses to insult the other and also to get a good laugh out of it, and ultimately the pair will end up wrestling – and got himself into Sabotage class, which is an additional class for those who do really well in trap-setting and stealth. Sasuke has to admit, when he was called to the older Headmaster's – the idiotic chūnin who used to run the Academy but got himself imprisoned – office, he never expected this to be the ultimate result. He has to admit, he hasn't found himself hating it.

 _(And if he's managed to find a few people he can put up with and doesn't mind talking to, well, that's for him and his family to know about.)_

* * *

It's dark, wherever he is, but even as he realises this, it changes. Beneath his feet ripples flow outward as black turns to dark blue and then fade to a lighter blue. He stands on water, on an ocean, and the water stretches out to the horizon, and the water lifts and swells with waves.

It's his appearance that catches his attention; the reflection in the water at odds to the last time he saw himself. His skin is darker than normally is – like it had once been in a previous life; however, the seal-tattoos that stand out are familiar by now, although the scars are familiar in the way that his skin colour is. His eyes, once dark, are blue-green and they remind him of the ocean. His hair falls down to his shoulders, reddish-brown strands almost wavy in appearance. He's taller than he had been, not quite up to his height when he had been Toru Mizushima, but not as short as he is as Toru Uchiha. He looks much like any Uzushio native, but despite that his face structure looks more Uchiha than Mizushima – all delicate lines and his body structure is similar, no longer as broad or strong as it had been. For all that the differences are there, though, they are similar.

This place is familiar, Toru realises as his attention moves on from his changed appearance. It is familiar in a way but Toru knows he has never been here – if here is an actual place. It is lonely too, but he doesn't feel alone. This place is desolate, yes, but it is quiet and peaceful.

 _(He failed them and he doesn't want to face them. He is fearful because he has much to fear, and he regrets that he hasn't succeeded but he tries, and maybe that means something.)_

Thoughts or maybe emotions _(because that's how they spoke in a place like this but unlike this)_ summon things – things because he doesn't want to know, but, _no_ , he needs to know, one can't hide things from oneself as a ninja, it creates bad habits. People appear – well, not quite appear, because despite the fact they are gone one moment and then there the next, it feels like a gradual process, and maybe that's why he finds himself feeling safe _(and it's a weird feeling – has he really been on edge for so long that he's forgotten what it feels like?)_.

The people – two of them, a couple, _(memories not-long-past surge forward like a rogue wave)_ – could be a dream, a hallucination, a genjutsu and that means Toru is captured by enemies and if he has no want to face them right now, so surely there's no reason why Toru shouldn't linger.

There's a heartbeat in Toru, blood thrums through his veins, and he wants to ignore who they are, what they mean to him, but… but they're his parents, and for all that he lost the close connection between his mother and him, they are blood. He understands that what happened was due to loss and grief, but he accepted his resentment and although it is there, he understands it, accepts it, acknowledges it, and brushes it aside.

The couple, _his parents_ , step forward and he wants to step back, but he stands and braces himself, because this is more than him facing his failures, surely – this could be a gift… This is like when he was dead and Uzushiogakure came to him, spoke-not-spoke to him. This could be something similar, or maybe there's something else at hand here, a hidden kunai in the shadows, but Toru doesn't want to believe that.

Yori Uchiha, formerly Yori Uzumaki, reaches out, and pulls Toru into him, kin hugging kin. Toru is stiff, still, but there's something like resignation in the way he moves. "You did well," his father whispers to him, like it's a secret, and there's pride in that voice – pride he doesn't understand because what has he done that someone can be proud of? "You did not fail." He steps back, short red hair gleaming in the sun and sometime while Toru's been here, a sky has formed.

"I'm sorry," Satomi Uchiha says, and she meets his gaze, brown eyes sad and soft and guilty. "I'm sorry for what I did after Yori passed, but I am proud for who you have become, for what you have managed. You are so strong, Toru. We may not be your first parents, but we love you regardless. You are our blood, despite lives lived previously."

Toru swallows, because this is something real, he thinks, and emotions try to swallow him and maybe his eyes water but maybe they don't. He closes his eyes and allows himself to fold inward, losing his stance that was made for strength, made for resilience, because he doesn't need that here. He can be who he is – tired and weary.

"I'm sorry too," he whispers, words a secret he has never said aloud. "I'm sorry too."

Satomi laughs, a bright chuckle that has his father grinning, and they are in love and it is beautiful. "You were but a child, unknowing of who you had once been. Still, thank you," she responds. "I am proud of you, no matter what you do. You have come so far."

"You have helped Konoha, despite the village not being your village," his father continues. "You have created a family out of an orphan with a terrible burden and a child who tried to hold hate and rage in his heart, and you have healed them. You have helped so many people – and even more in your previous life. That might have happened before us, but we are proud. You cannot shame us, no matter what you do."

"We will always love you," Satomi assures her son, and Toru can't speak, and there's a hand on his shoulder and it's familiar but something he hasn't felt for years, and he leans into the touch. The touch disappears as two people step around him so he can see them.

"That's what parents do," Ama Mizushima assures Toru, and Toru smiles, helpless in the face of love from two sets of parents. Next to his previous mother stands Eiji Mizushima, once Eiji Inoue, and kind eyes meet Toru's and Toru can't do anything in the face of them, can't even speak for fear of breaking down and simply crying and he doesn't want to do that here.

"Remember you have been strong, but strength does not last every day, all day," Eiji says. "It is alright to lean on others," he continues softly. "We will always be proud of you and we will always love you."

Toru bows his head, "I love you as well," he murmurs, and despite the quiet tone his parents hear him, share smiles, and then they're stepping away.

Toru reaches out to them, because now that he has experienced companionship and love, he doesn't want to return to the loneliness that once was peaceful but won't be with his current mindset. "It's alright Toru," Ama says.

"There are others coming," Yori says confusingly, but Toru allows them to walk away, but they don't go too far. Toru does not feel like he is being watched or that he needs to be on edge – it's a good feeling.

There's a new group and Toru is confused by how they're appearing, and also realising that everyone here so far is dead. Toru knows this group, and he grins widely, because how can he not in the face of more family?

"You know when I said let's hope that one of us lives, I didn't mean that one of us needs to be reincarnated," Ayumu says in greeting, a smile light with laughter on her face.

"You didn't mean to die before Uzushio started the evacuation either," Toru returns, because Ayumu's death has always weighed on him, and he has always felt like a failure as he never caught who killed her.

"You did everything you could," Ayumu says sternly, and she has forgiven him if she ever thought there was something to forgive. "You focussed on getting our people out, and that's what I wanted. Live with what has happened, for it has happened."

Toru tilts his head and doesn't respond because he doesn't have anything to respond with. "Don't be so hard on yourself," he gets told by Isaki Fujii. "Honestly, you would have thought you learnt by now. "Things aren't always in your control brat. You were on a team with this lot," she adds with a wave, encompassing both Ayumu and Mika, "you should know very well how sometimes you don't need to control everything."

Toru rolls his eyes, "I resent being called a brat," he responds, but he's also smiling and it's filled with gratitude.

"You'll always be a brat," Isaki responds with a scoff before heading over to the others already here.

"Don't be afraid," Mika adds, forever an enigma who lives to confuse Ayumu and Toru with the simplest things and keep their lives lively, along with acting like the perfect genin for their sensei despite being the devil incarnate. "No, really, don't be, it's annoying to watch you be all angsty and everything. You're loved and we're proud of you Toru, and yeah, maybe you fail things but you're human."

"Humans are flawed but we've got points that make up for it," Ayumu adds. "You've failed people, you've failed yourself but you've achieved so much and helped others. Keep being you, no matter what changes. You are an Uzukage," Ayumu continues, lifting her chin and Toru responds as he always does, matching her, "and don't you forget that."

"Yeah, and you got it after _Ayumu_ ," Mika adds with a snort. "How does that make you feel?"

Ayumu squawks in outrage, punches Mika and jerks her away with a faint goodbye and continues to argue with their third teammate. "I finally understand why you dealt so well with Shou and Kiku," Natsumi says in an amused tone.

"Well, now you know," Toru says, meeting the gaze of his Konoha genin sensei, and maybe it's the tone of his voice or the tilt of his head, but Natsumi hums.

"I do," she says, and they both know it's more than Toru's simple reincarnation – although there's nothing simple about it. "You've done well," she says. "Always knew there was something special about you, of course, I am surprised as I never expected this, but, well, leaves at the bottom of the leaf pile and all that. Look after yourself kid," she says before stalking off, and Toru really wonders why he's surprised with the calmness she took everything. She was his sensei after all.

He hasn't broken yet, because his feeling of failure is slowly being wiped from him – it'll come back though, as it tends to do. However, he has something to fight it with now. Even so, he can feel something bubbling beneath his skin, maybe hysteria or potentially something he might call sentiment for everyone here.

He doesn't plan on breaking down, because he's sure that while such a thing would be accepted by the people here, he doesn't accept it. It'll make him feel weak and useless and drained, and he _hates_ feeling like that. Except… except there are a trio of people around him and familiar despite the amount of time they spend in masks around one another.

His team has always been about Uzushio, which means about each other. _Uzushio_. He did the best he could, and it doesn't matter if they failed or if he failed because in the end, _they all fell_. He's swamped in a massive group hug before he can think anything more, and maybe he's crying because his team is here and Uzushio is gone and they're dead, and maybe it's something else.

"It doesn't matter," Tori – Kanko Tahara – tells him fiercely, and how can Toru believe anything else when his second is dead and still telling him things that aren't commands but might as well be? Toru – because he is Toru here just like how they aren't Tori, Tora, and Kame here but Kanko, Saya, and Mari – is accepted and he can break down because they have done so and he has done so as well, and they care for one another.

"It really doesn't," Saya says kindly, but that doesn't mean it feels kind to Toru who has always seen it as a failure and can't picture it any other way. "It doesn't matter," she repeats, and her eyes meet Toru's and they are strong – they are all strong, "because Uzushio is still alive and you're–! You're alive and living, Taichō, _living_ – and so it Uzushio!"

"That's enough for us," Mari tells him, an arm wrapped around his back and a head resting on his shoulder and she is Kame but here she is human first and ANBU second. "It's enough for us, and we're so, so proud of you."

"You've gotten us so far, and you've gotten yourself so far," Kanko says again, a hand tightening around Toru's nape as a grounding force, and it's like a force of nature that Toru can't deny. He relaxes, completely, and his defences are all gone, stripped away because he is safe here, safe from any physical danger and the people here will care for him and look after him and will try to avoid creating any emotional damage. "You're an amazing captain, Taichō."

Toru barks out a broken laugh, because what an _amazing_ captain he is – ordering them to leave without their captain, causing their deaths, allowing them to die. He drops his head and it falls onto Saya's shoulder.

"You're an amazing captain," Kanko reiterates, "and really, trust yourself some more and trust us some more. Yes, we know you trust us, but trust us more. Know that we follow you because we believe you're a good captain, and we know you'll do what's best by your morals and your rights, and you'll do what's necessary – and that's important."

"Live for yourself," Mari commands, "and maybe live for us as well, if you can carry that weight."

"Look after yourself," Saya chimes in, "we care about you and your wellbeing is important to us. We love you, okay? Don't ever doubt that. We don't care what you do – we're ANBU, we know that things are tough. We see and deal with the worst of things. We kill all kinds of people."

"The sea never dies," Kanko says, and this is the shinobi who had been his brother in another life, and he doesn't order or ask for anything but he wants the most from Toru – wants Toru to continue living, to continue surviving, to do whatever he wants and enjoy life.

Toru swallows, "Thank you," he whispers, "for everything." He's choking up and he's laughing then, loving too, because this is his family right here and they may be dead and it could be his fault but they love him regardless. They care, and they will continue to do so. There's one last group hug and then they're going, and Toru wonders if this is the end, because who else is there?

"Oh," Toru says, the word falling from his lips quietly, without his will but doing so anyway. The lack of control over himself can be forgiven, he thinks, because rarely – and he won't say it's impossible because he's fairly certain everything's possible – do people deal with the dead.

"Oh?" The teenager – man by experience, but teenager by age – parrots back, amused grin popping up on his face. "This is the first time you see me since my death and all you can say is 'oh'?"

Toru jolts forward, because for twelve years of his life, he has had one constant that has always loved him and it has always, always been Shisui. Arms are wrapped around his back and Shisui hums. They're almost the same height here, Toru slightly shorter but they manage to rest their heads on each other's shoulders. Toru thinks Shisui takes the same amount of comfort from the embrace as he does.

Shisui – sixteen years to his name _(and that's all he ever had and as much as he hates what happened to him, he did it anyway because he – alike to Toru – had wanted it, subconsciously, but the wish had still been there)_ and experiences that don't quite go beyond sixteen years but count for something more – stares at his cousin, brushes long hair out of his eyes, and can't help but feel surprised, so, so surprised. Despite his surprise, he's extraordinarily sad at the path that Toru's been given, and how Shisui couldn't do anything, didn't do anything, and he never meant for this to happen, but he's _glad_. He's so glad that it is almost the only thing he can feel, along with a fire-hot emotion that feels like fierceness but doesn't have a name.

Shisui's happy, happy in such a way that it feels like it oozes from his pores. For all that Shisui is cheerful and prone to smiles and laughter, he is a shinobi, an ANBU at that. He knows how to put on a mask, and knows how he has to meet expectations, and how sometimes people need him to laugh loudly and brightly. It isn't all a mask, but it doesn't mean that it's all Shisui is either. It's been a while since Shisui has last felt like happiness is all he is, and that's how he feels right now. Along with joy, he's amazed at all Toru's done and all he's trying to do. Shisui's sad about what he's gone through, but he's happy too because it's what has allowed Toru to live.

"Y'know," Shisui says quietly, like he's telling a secret, and he is, "in ANBU, there were stories about this jackal masked shinobi in ANBU. I heard stories, brief and whispered, that were more hearsay than anything else, but that shinobi – the stories of that shinobi – became a hero almost, to others and me."

"I'm not a hero," Toru offers him, and Shisui smiles softly, lips turning up at the corners.

"Good," he counters, eyes catching the way Toru stiffens in surprise, "because ninjas aren't heroes, and as long as you aren't fooled by that, you'll do fine." Toru gifts Shisui with a smile in return, soft and gentle and loving. Shisui can't stop the widening grin on his face, because he just loves his cousin so much. "You've achieved so much," Shisui says strongly, not softly because he doesn't want to keep these words quiet, he wants to shout it out to the world more than anything, "and no matter what, I will love you and believe in you and I will forever be proud of you, Toru."

Toru lifts his chin and Shisui sees his blue-green eyes watering and he can feel the tears gathering in the bottom of his eyes as well. Toru matches Shisui and they are family, blood calling to blood, bonds calling to bonds, love calling to love. Shisui may be dead but Toru isn't, and Shisui is eternally grateful. However, his cousin is in danger, is dying – was dying? – and Shisui has given Toru something a while ago, and maybe it will help him here.

"I think you're ready," Shisui says. Everyone fades and the sea is lost beneath Toru's feet and the sky with its endless horizons stretching towards him disappears. The world is more than that, so Toru remains steady even as he finds himself shifting into another body, finds himself locked elsewhere and seeing something from his eyes.

A memory somehow comes back to him, breaking and fracturing first, but then it comes together like a puzzle. Shisui is staring at him with his sharingan blaring red and spinning. "Remember this when you are ready to," Shisui orders, before a worried look crosses his face, "I hope this works."

 _(Toru knows a thing or two about faith, about having nothing to work with and believing it'll work because it has to.)_

Shisui speaks and tells Toru of things he knows, things he has guessed, and secrets that should lay deep and buried and never come into life. Toru learns and listens and watches as Shisui's shoulders hunch forward and words flooded with painful emotions are whispered to him, and everything aches within him to reach out and help but he can't because he is frozen.

In the end, Toru knows this – he knows everything Shisui knew about the mangekyō sharingan, something called the Curse of Hatred and more information regarding the Will of Fire, and ROOT.

 _(Toru learns of ROOT and the Uchiha coup d'état and remembers the massacre and he wonders.)_

Toru wakes and is somewhere caught in between surprise at being alive and the warm feeling of being loved and knowing everyone who cares for him is proud of him. Something like acceptance and peace curls around him, lightening his shoulders and gifting him with a reason to live _(how can he continue to be tired when there are people he cares for in danger? How can he continue to be weary when there's so much in life that he can do? Why should he die when the ocean tide sweeps on by and rogue waves rise and crash? Why should he be still when the sun still shines and the world calls out to him, still?)_. Still, there's an injury that needs to take care of, but it only takes Toru a few minutes to heal the gash to something that he can manage and won't kill him. He's still sore and he needs to be careful, but he's alive.

His chakra flickers and flares and Toru summons Tadashi from the Shita Clan. The cockroach appears in front of him, and Toru focusses on what needs to happen first before he can start his plans. "Tell Sasuke, Naruto, Shou, and Kiku to stay quiet about it but know that I'm not dead just yet, but that I need to do something and they need to be careful _please._ If you get to my apartment, Sasuke might be able to tell them all. Got that, Tadashi-san?"

"On it," the summon responds before – with a small flare of chakra – taking off and reaching speeds that Toru can't yet. Toru nods to himself, picks himself up off the ground, and starts heading to Konoha. He'll need to be careful, but first he needs to make a plan.

* * *

Naruto is with Sasuke when they learn of the news – that Toru is alive. Of course, none of this make senses and thankfully, Naruto explains this, in his usual clumsy manner that makes no sense. "Of course he is, he just left on a mission," Naruto explains, stressing the last word.

Tadashi, who Sasuke has met before – also with Naruto, sighs, "That's the message I was given," he explains patiently, and Sasuke applauds him on his efforts but he's learnt patience gets you nowhere with Naruto. "I have to deliver the same message to Kiku and Shou."

"We can do that," Sasuke interjects smoothly, before Naruto can speak again. "Thanks for your message." Tadashi nods and disappears in a puff of smoke, Naruto whirls on Sasuke.

"Do you think something's happened?"

Sasuke nods, "Yeah, but we have to be careful because something's up and Toru needs us safe," he explains. "Toru's been thinking something is corrupt in Konoha for a while now."

"So, we gotta, we gotta be like actual shinobis right?" Naruto asks, voice pulled from a shout to a loud whisper. Sasuke nods again. "Okay, we can do that! We gotta be really, really good ninjas."

"Gotta isn't a word," Sasuke whispers back, "and we need to act like everything's normal. Can you do that?"

Naruto rolls his eyes, "Yeah, can you manage?" He asks, because the last time they pulled a prank together it had been due to Sasuke's inability to act like someone other than who he is that they got caught.

"Yes," Sasuke responds as someone knocks on the door, "I was caught by surprise last time, that's all."

"Sure," Naruto says, clearly disbelieving and Sasuke wonders how the blonde haired boy ended up with such a sarcastic tone and mentally blames Toru. Naruto opens the door and grins at the trio behind it, but his face quickly falls when none can muster up a smile in response.

Sasuke instantly trades glances with Naruto, something normal but with the undertone of _shouldwetellhim_. Naruto nods and Sasuke tilts his head, but… he trusts Iruka because Toru trusts the older chūnin, so it should be relatively safe. "C'mon in," Naruto says, trying to push some of his usual cheerfulness into his voice.

"We've got some bad news," Iruka says gently, and Sasuke doesn't want to hear the news all strung out and maybe it'll be gentle and almost kind, but Sasuke doesn't need that. He turns and fixes his gaze on Shou, who he has always gotten along with best.

"Iruka-san," Shou says, cutting Iruka off. "Toru's been reported as killed in action by his mission partner."

"Toru is currently trying to find out what's corrupt in Konoha," Sasuke returns.

"We just got a message from him," Naruto explains, "a summons. He warned us to be careful and be quiet about everything. He's got something he needs to do."

"He's got suspicions about certain things and has had them for a while," Sasuke explains.

"His missions going so badly could be due to inside information," Kiku realises.

Something seems to settle over Iruka, but no one seems to notice except for Sasuke. Naruto appears to twitch, but other than that doesn't react. Sasuke wonders why Iruka feels familiar to Toru for a second there, when Toru is at his most dangerous – which normally occurs after a mission gone bad, a nightmare, or something else that Toru never speaks to him about.

"Will he be alright?" Kiku asks when no one says anything.

"Yes," Sasuke says. "If they didn't kill him when they had the chance, he'll ensure that they regret it. He'll be fine."

"Yeah!" Naruto says with a smile, hooking an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and jerking him sideways so the pair are leaning into each other. "Trust us!"

* * *

 **Missions gone wrong are something Toru has dealt with regularly, which shouldn't be happening. Everything seems to be going well until through a series of events Toru finds himself bleeding out in a forest, nowhere near home. Meanwhile, as Sasuke and Naruto enjoy the Ninja Academy, Toru finds himself visited by what's either a hallucination, a genjutsu, or something else entirely. He survives, but everyone's now on edge as the news of his death reaches Konoha (and the news of his not-death as well).**

* * *

 _ **Woo, so I ended this chapter here simply because I didn't feel like getting into the next part in this chapter. So far, we've gotten through just over a quarter of the plot. That simply means I'll go through other possible plot points to add words to this book, though. I do have some things I can do.**_

 _ **So, yeah, this entire book will be about ROOT and Toru's attempt to take it down. I did leave hints of it in Sea Dreams - disappearing kids from the Academy and the streets, Toru's worries about something sinister in Konoha, an** **d** **y'know** **_t_ he masked ninjas that attacked him.**_

 _ **I tried to kill Toru off again, my bad. I was planning to write third time's the charm or something, except this is my second attempt to kill him off, because the only other one that you guys all know about is when he actually died. Anyway, you see how confused he is about it all, which was a bit tricky to write and I'm not sure how well it worked out. Also, Toru's tiredness and - I don't know - not suicidal thoughts, but like just a kinda subconscious wish for death. Think about what he's gone through and everything, and he has not broken but he is tired, and just wants to sleep forever. I, too, just want to sleep forever right now, I'm actually exhausted, why the hell can I do things like sleep in and go to sleep when I want rather than lying awake for ages. Stupid body.**_

 _ **The Academy! How do you guys like it? I have plans for certain characters and everything for later regarding it. I have quite a bit typed out regarding the classes, and you see most of it here. There are quite a few additional classes left unmentioned, but that's because neither Sasuke or Naruto can take them right now or aren't suited to take them.**_

 _ **This is what I've been looking forward to for a while - Toru being revisited by dead people thingies. I'm going to allow you guys to all decide what exactly happened. I tried my best to write the characters in character, and since all but one was an original character, I like to think I succeeded. Toru Uchiha's parents are interesting, because his mother kinda became emotionally distant while his father died, and**_ those kind _ **of things leave scars. Meanwhile, I just created his Uzushio parents and it just worked out, I suppose. Toru meets his genin team from Uzushio and his sensei, and there was so much that could be said there, asked there - things like if his sensei made it out, who killed Ayumu, to remind Mika that she had been loved and ask why she left (despite the fact he understood). However, Toru understood it wasn't time for that and that it was time to let those things past. Toru's ANBU team, they're probably his family in reality. I was gonna say Kanko was his best friend but that's Ayumu so they ended up all counting as siblings.**_  
 _ **Shisui, bloody hell, I hope he's in character. He's a hard one to write, so I hope this all worked out to kinda be like him. Also the**_ sharingan _ **thing, you can't tell me it wouldn't work. I mean, just look about everything that happened regarding the**_ sharingan _ **in canon. Also, I could've written out what Shisui said, but I didn't feel like it and I have a better plan anyway for it all to be revealed. Besides, Shisui didn't know about ROOT and the Uchiha, he only knew of the existence regarding ROOT and all that.**_

 _ **Sasuke and Naruto reappear and I realise how hard it is to show the changes and have them be kinda in canon character, so I hoped that work. Also, I have things (plot points) and there's a hint here, but it won't be revealed until... the next book or the one after. Sometime in canon probably.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you like the title of this book as well. It was an interesting thing to figure out.**_


	2. Precursor

**Huge thank you to blackspiral (guest review) for their kind words! You actually made my day. I'm so glad you're enjoying this series and the characters and the world building I've done. I can't wait to see what you think of this book.**

* * *

Toru doesn't think it should be so easy to get into Konoha unnoticed. However, Toru may have the advantage of entering through the secret tunnel that he only knows because the Uchiha Clan has always been worried about Konoha and if it would turn on them, _(there's a nasty thought in the back of his mind that says it did)_. Interestingly enough, the moment Toru finds himself in the Uchiha Clan Compound, there's a large black sable dog waiting for him.

Toru heads towards where the members of Kakumau tend to stay. He hasn't really used their information gathering skills yet, but perhaps it's time. Toru actually works on hiding this time, his chakra signature is squashed through sheer will and he takes to the shadows like he was born in them. He slips through tunnels and short cuts and drops through sewers that are no longer in use.

He slips into a shadowed corner, positions himself between a trashed cardboard box – that actually houses important belongings of the gang – and a dented metal trashcan that's no longer in use. He waits, because he knows that someone will return soon.

Tomoe and Masuyo are the ones who first return, and Toru shifts, meeting their eyes. Tomoe instantly straightens, and Masuyo sinks further into the ally, taking up a guard position by the corner. "Ryuu?" Tomoe calls, "I take it there's a reason behind your visit."

"I think it's time we put your information gathering skills to the test," Toru says. "I need everything you can find out about Danzō, an organisation known as ROOT, and where the best places would be to have hidden bases. I think I know why kids keep going missing on the streets as well."

"About time ya actually used us," Tomoe explains. "'Was getting paranoid 'bout it all. Have ya got the map?"

Toru nods and unseals it from one of his storage seals. The map is one he had made with input from the gang along with Naruto and Sasuke. It's fairly big and mapped out the entirety of Konoha, and Toru that there isn't another one like it in existence. The collaboration effort ensured that the map contained secret tunnels and passageways, shortcuts, gang territories and the relative safeness of them, trapped areas, areas of heavy surveillance, areas of little surveillance, criminal-controlled areas, drop points for supplies, areas containing free water and food and clothing, locations where it's easy to obtain food, supply locations, spots where fighting often occurs, places to avoid, and areas to hide.

"Masuyo, help me out here," Tomoe says, and the other girl narrows her eyes and between the pair of them, they start tapping areas where kids have gone missing. "Haven't heard the name Danzō before or it hasn't been important," she says after a minute of silence. "I think that's all the places."

Toru nods and checks over their work, matching the areas to what he knows. "Areas that are known as abandoned and have little surveillance but aren't trouble spots or anything," he says. "Places where no one will notice a screaming child because no one's around, and if they are they know better than to speak up."

"We can try ta look into this _Danzō_ and ROOT organisation," Masuyo murmurs, "but I am of the thinkin' we won't learn much."

"That's what I thought too," Toru agrees, "but it's worth a try."

"These hidden bases though, we may be able to gather some info' on them," Tomoe responds, "people ignores the less privileged." A growl grows in Toru's throat _(because these people matter)_ , and Tomoe glances up at him from the map, "Most of them do, at least," she adds on. "Now, I'm guessing you have things ta do and we got places ta be. We'll catch ya in the compound if we find anything." Toru nods and the three separate, each one taking to the shadows like they almost belonged.

* * *

The Uchiha Clan originally put their money into a bank account belonging to the first bank of Konoha. However, at some point in time, they withdrew all their money and belongings and transferred it all to a lesser-known bank, and no one knew anything about the change in bank unless they dealt with the Uchiha Clan through the bank.

Logically, it seems like a smart move, as no one would expect the Uchiha Clan to use an almost unknown bank, and therefore no one would be able to steal from the Uchiha Clan. Alongside that belief, the bank would basically depend on the Uchiha Clan for funds and to not go bankrupt, meaning they would be loyal to the Uchiha Clan first and foremost. However, and this is where Toru really sees signs that the Uchiha Clan's arrogance and pride had run away from them, banks that aren't popular have less money and therefore less protection. The clan clearly thought that their reputation would be enough to protect the bank.

 _(They weren't wrong.)_

Toru remembers, vaguely, that he had been going through numerous bank statements and invoices and had realised that numbers weren't adding up. He hadn't done much about it, moving forward in life and ignoring it as an issue to deal with later. Perhaps he shouldn't have done that.

It would be abnormal for Sasuke to try and access the paperwork that Toru needs in order to look at the numbers and see if he can find anything about what had happened or the bank could try and hide things.

Toru's therefore figured that the only way to get the documents he wants, without the documents being tampered and raising suspicion, is to infiltrate the bank and go through the documents while the bank's closed. He easily ghosts past the two civilian guards, who are only there to set the alarm to go off if a civilian attacks because no ninja would need to attack a bank. Without bothering to disguise himself or use much stealth aside from his usual camouflage henge – which he can now perform silently and with only one hand seal – Toru slips into the back of the bank, crawling along the top of the roof to remain undetected, not that he expects to be detected but the paranoia is there.

Toru quickly finds the Uchiha Clan's bank account due to knowing the account's number, as the files are all organised by account numbers. Eight years ago, Toru remembers saying – he had said eight years ago two years ago. He blinks in surprise, had it really been that long? Pushing aside his wayward thoughts, Toru pulls out a folder from ten years ago. As he vaguely remembered from looking over documents years ago, it shows the drop in the Uchiha Clan's economic growth. It made sense since the Kyūbi had attacked that year, so prices would go up and due to all the damage that the Kyūbi had caused.

Toru starts going through the folders for each year, until he reaches the current year. Throughout it all, he notices that the income from before the Kyūbi attack never increases to what it had once been. A bit of mental calculations and comparing papers reveals that Toru is not crazy to think that the numbers aren't adding up from one year to another. It's like _(it is, Toru thinks to himself, it's not like – it is)_ a chuck of the funds disappear out of the bank account. It becomes more clear in the years after the Uchiha massacre.

 _Someone's getting arrogant,_ Toru thinks to himself, _or maybe they're underestimating me and overestimating themselves. Either way, they're leaving a trail for me to track_. It is, indeed, an actual trail to track because when Toru's putting the folders back, he notices a very thin folder stuck in another one. Toru pulls it out gently, and lets an angry exhale escape his mouth, before he puts it all away and heads out of the bank.

Paranoia _(and something that felt like fear and curdled his stomach)_ throbbed in his head, a reminder to be careful and remain unseen. Toru forces himself to avoid thinking about what he just found, because it's a distraction and _distractions are deadly_.

Toru quickly reaches his designated safe space – the Uchiha Clan Compound because he doesn't want to drag the attention to the rest of his family. Plus, the Uchiha Clan Compound is well guarded by Toru's seals and the people who live there – especially the ones who are further back in the compound – owe him. Once he's there, he slips into an empty house – the former Clan Head's house – and quickly settles into a meditation position.

 _(What does he need?)_

He needs to think; he needs to be careful. He needs to find evidence and bring it to the Hokage. He needs to _bring ROOT down_.

Toru pauses and steps away from his emotions, from his thoughts, from the anger thrumming through his body. It's a thought he's had but hasn't recognised, and the anger and hatred in it is easy to swallow _(and Toru wonders if it should be hard)_. The thing is that Uzushio was made for people without a home and these children have been stolen and taken and maybe they wanted to be and maybe they didn't; but it doesn't matter, because in the end they are being used and without lives and they don't know _so much_. Toru wants to change that, he wants to tell them their voices matter, tell them to speak up so they can be heard.

 _(Toru takes kids off the streets but he doesn't do it to use them, he does it because they deserve it. Toru has many sins and guilt weighs down on his shoulders, and he is doing this for forgiveness and because he cares. He tells them he will use them, because that's the world they're used to – the one where they are used and deals are made. He tells them he will use them but that they are equal. Toru lies but one day he won't need to because they'll believe him when he says 'I just want you to live'.)_

Toru knows that he has some evidence, but not enough. He knows now that Danzō has been stealing funds from the Uchiha Clan, probably to pay for his organisation. It makes sense that he couldn't have all the funds for ROOT coming from his bank account, and by taking it from other accounts – and Toru doesn't believe the Uchiha Clan is the only one being used – it wouldn't be as obvious.

Toru channels chakra into his tattoo-seal, and Kuma appears in a puff of smoke. "What have you got for me?" Toru instantly asks, because this is the summon he told to follow his attacker.

"You've gotten into something," the cockroach responds. "Followed the guy you wanted tag, he came back to Konoha and entered an underground location – through the back of the place of red clovers."

"Akagahara," Toru says softly in realisation. "I may require your help to get in later. What else can you tell me?"

"My target reported to a higher up – are you aware they don't have names? They go by numbers. Many of them are youngsters, but they act like old ninjas. I don't think these guys will go down easily and I don't think they get to retire either," Kuma continues. "There seem to be large numbers – a force, easily, but not too many currently. I'm guessing they go out on… on missions, like yours. Can't tell you much more but… I think they all had seals."

"Seals?" Toru repeats. "You can sense those?"

"It's a training exercise for the youngsters," Kuma says. "Before they are recognised as fully-grown they are required to find the storage seal. It's a good task, for we always get to have fun watching them and trying to trick them."

"Alright, thanks for your information Kuma," Toru says.

"Don't do anything dumb, you hear me?" Kuma orders, although Toru can hear resignation in her voice.

"'Course not," Toru responds already thinking what seals to use to avoid being found and the best way to infiltrate the ROOT base. Kuma stares at him, rolls her eyes, and disappears.

 _(Maybe Toru's being dumb, deciding to gather files and information on Danzō by infiltrating his hideout via seals – because no one ever expects seals. Toru doesn't think it's a dumb idea, though. Shisui had been worried, had been scared, and he had been strong – Toru needs to be careful, and he needs to do this for himself and for others, for those wronged. Toru could take this to the Hokage, but would the Hokage believe him?)_

 _(What if this is the sinister, corrupt thing at the root of the Uchiha massacre? Does the Hokage know?)_

* * *

For all that Uzushio and Konoha were allies – sister villages, as they were oft called, there are many seals that Uzushio refused to share with Konoha. They weren't any major devastating ones that would kill battalions or break mountains or protect villages _(well, there were some, but those were hidden from most people)_ , but smaller ones that allowed missions to flow smoother and helped protect Uzushio's ninjas.

Toru utilises two of those to infiltrate ROOT's hideout, along with the Transformation Technique. The first seal in question is one Toru's tattooed onto himself and is known as the Attention Redirection Seal, named for what it does. Its activation is fairly simple, since it's like most seals and activates if chakra is put into the seal. What it does is draw the attention that's directed towards the user, and sets up a low-levelled genjutsu to push this attention away from the user. If someone pushes past the genjutsu, their attention is drawn to the something the user decides regarding their current appearance and projects the intent that _this is normal, this is right, everything's good,_ to the person who pushes past the genjutsu.

The other seal Toru uses is the Sense Failsafe Seal, which is another genjutsu-based seal and is often used in conjunction with the Attention Redirection Seal. Similar to the Attention Redirection Seal, if someone is paying attention to the user, it brings their attention to imagined effects. It's also activated by putting chakra into the seal.

Both seals have downsides, as when they are activated, the user must keep the imagined effects in mind – similar to how the Transformation Technique is used. It's a hard task and requires a lot of mental effort, but thankfully Toru has the benefit of using both seals in a previous life and he's used to using the henge in his current life.

Toru changes his shape so he appears as a small lizard – something that won't be seen as out of place within the caves. As he creeps along walls and sneaks through cracks, no one pays any attention to him. However, Toru finds barracks and offices and meeting rooms and training rooms. He pauses in one training room and watches as two ninjas _(they are seven years old!)_ spar until one is almost dead, and only then does the spar stop for good, _(anger drums in his blood and this is one more reason for Toru to go to the Hokage with his evidence)_.

Nevertheless, Toru still smiles when he overhears two kids stuck in a whispered conversation, because they talk about hiding things in their rooms as they aren't allowed to have things or habits but they do because they need to cope.

 _(Toru grins because they are humans and it shows here.)_

Still, it doesn't derail Toru from his original plan, and he continues creeping through hallways, slipping through cracks, and listening for secrets and trying to find Danzō's office. It's possible that Danzō keeps all his files in his actual home, but Toru thinks that the man would be more likely to keep the files in a place guarded by an army that is only loyal to him _(and maybe to each other)_ – it is, after all, safer and Toru is aware of this.

It takes somewhere between three and four hours for Toru to actually find a room filled with files and folders. Toru creeps through various boxes, searching for anything about the Uchiha. It takes some time, but Toru eventually finds the folder, and a whole cabinet labelled 'U', _(this, Toru thinks quietly, is a reminder that all ninjas can get confident, can get arrogant, and it can bring them down.)_

Ending the Transformation Technique doesn't give off any chakra or cause a chakra flare, rather the simple chakra residue that leaks out due to the shape being held simply stops. Thankfully, Toru knows he can avoid detection by ensuring the chakra residue acts more like natural chakra – there and faint and not-quite-right but fading into everything – the ground, the air, the plant life, the animal life.

Toru grabs the Uchiha folders and seal them in his storage seal, and his eyes widen as he reads the name of the file left in the draw. Toru swallows, and wonders how the world can move on when he discovers this. Toru grabs the thin folder, seals it, and then allows his chakra to flare as he uses the Transformation Technique once more. An alarm goes off but Toru is already leaving, heart hammering and barely able to breathe through the fear in his mind, in his heart.

He somehow manages to get to the Uchiha Clan Compound, and he just sits there, staring at the two folders in front of him, feeling too much but unable to name any of the emotion he feels. Toru exhales, and traces the name of a long lost village. He swallows and opens the Uchiha folder.

Toru reads and learns. His eyes grow wide and his breathing turns erratic and his heart sounds like thunder in his chest. He wants to let the world burn and turn to ash for things undeserved and actions taken. He wants to ruin Danzō and his organisation, wants to see things set on fire.

 _(Toru isn't fire, though, for fire is healing entwined with ash and infection. Toru is water and wind. He is the hurricane, the wind that takes everything until you can't breathe. He is the tsunami, the ocean wave that builds and builds until it falls and surges forward, swallowing everything in its path.)_

Toru isn't dead, but he had been and has almost died so many times – and it always, always comes back to this, to ROOT, to Danzō. Toru reads leaf-thin pages with words written in print letters that are almost uniform and written without meaning, without emotion, and Toru _seethes_. He feels like water bubbling and boiling and preparing to explode.

Toru learns of implants and stolen money. He learns of growing resentment and growing hatred of a believed Senju-influenced government, he learns of whispers caused and rumours rising and he thinks _manipulation._ He learns of the ill-will between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of Konoha and he thinks _you did this._ He learns of Uchiha spies and Itachi who turns away from the clan and towards Konoha and he thinks _this is wrong_. He learns of the Sandaime trying to find a peaceful solution, but Danzō's stalwart belief that there is none. He learns of the Uchiha planning a coup d'état to overthrow the Konoha leadership and thinks _we didn't need more bloodshed._ He learns of Shisui _(his cousin)_ trying to enforce peace, command it, order it, and he doubts it would have worked. He learns of Danzō killing and attacking and stealing lives, eyes. He learns of the ultimatum, of Itachi choosing the death of everyone or the life of his brother. He learns of Itachi assassinating the clan. He learns and he learns and Toru cries and thinks _this is why_ and _you were wrong_ and _there had to be another way out_.

Uzushio's folder is worse because it feels so much more real, because Toru connects to it more, because Toru knows the names in the folder, the names written down in bland letters. He's drained from what he's learnt, drained but he reads the files anyway because Uzushio deserves justice. The invasion from Kirigakure had been sudden, surprising, but that didn't mean it couldn't have happened. It was possible, but… there had been questions. To find that there was something deeper – Toru doesn't know whether he wants to cry or smile, because Kiri had been an ally, but Konoha had been a bigger one, a better one, and they were the reason Uzushio fell.

 _(Uzushio will rise again.)_

Toru sits and cries, picks himself up, faces everything head on, and continues reading. He learns of a ROOT member who gets picked and pushed into a mission to be an ambassador for Uzushio. A ROOT member presented with the name Uragiru Tsune _(how could he have missed the fact her name meant betray and endless – endless betray; he thought it had stood for outwit, he had assumed… well, that was it, wasn't it? He had assumed)_ for her mission. He learns of agents put in Kirigakure to create and egg on rumours about Uzushio's growing strength and power. He learns of rumours about Uzushio turning on their allies and attacking. He learns of whispered rumours about a thought to attack Uzushio before the village could turn on Kirigakure and he thinks _Konoha made Kiri attack._ He learns of the ROOT plant, the Konoha ambassador, crossing into Hi no Kuni but being killed by her organisation for _fear_ that her loyalty had changed, that it had wavered. He learns this and thinks _Uzushio could've been saved because of Konoha, but Uzushio fell because of Konoha instead._ He learns of children – two of them – stolen from Uzushio by Uragiru, and ROOT taking them, training them, teaching them to be weapons first and human never.

Toru learns. He cries. He mourns. He grieves. He picks himself up and decides that the world needs to change. He picks himself up and decides that there needs to be justice. He stands steady and calm and proud because Uzushio might've fallen but they are alive and they will stand tall once again.

 _(Let Uzushio's fall not be for nothing, let it mean something, let Toru's losses have meaning, let Sasuke's grievances be for reason, mean something. Let the world know that whatever has been caused and whatever has happen, let the world know that it means something that it isn't just nothing. Let the world know that justice will be found and dealt. Let the world know an Uzukage will refuse to die without justice being distributed. Not this time round.)_

* * *

Naruto beams as he enters the Hokage's office, and not just because he finally gets a chance to talk to Hokage-jiji for the first time in a week, which is _ages_ , but also because he completed the mission Toru wanted him to without any difficulties! The old man greets Naruto with a smile, "Naruto, it's good to see you again," he says. "How are you doing?"

Naruto's grin grows wider, "Hokage-jiji!" He crows loudly, "I gotta show you something but it's very, very secretive so you can't let nooobody see it. Got it?"

"What is it you want to show me?" The Hokage asks with a curious look and Naruto shakes his head quickly.

"Nooooo! I can't show it to you," Naruto explains, "'cause no one else can see it, not even the shadowy people who hide all the time. Hey, why do they hide? Do they ever not be hiding?"

The Sandaime huffs out a laugh and with a wave of his hand dismisses his ANBU, "So what do you want to show me Naruto?" He asks, and Naruto looks up at him with wide eyes.

"This is secret, secret business," the boy explains solemnly. "Gotta be careful, gotta be safe. Can't let nobody know. That's what Toru said."

The Hokage frowns, just as Toru's henge drops and he appears next to Naruto. "Thank you Naruto," Toru says quietly, instantly turning to the boy. "Now, you know what you need to do?"

Naruto nods with wide eyes and hugs Toru. "Be safe," the boy mumbles before heading out with a large grin on his face.

Toru turns to face the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, I accuse Danzō of treason, attempted murder, murder, genocide, and many other crimes against Konoha."

The Hokage looks Toru straight in the eye. "That's a hefty accusation to make," he says lightly.

"A member of the organisation ROOT, let by Danzō, attempted to kill me on my last mission and returned to Konoha on the belief that they had succeeded. I escaped and healed myself before returning to Konoha and infiltrating a base of the organisation ROOT, where I discovered files on the Uchiha massacre and Uzushiogakure's fall. I have the files on me and would like to hand them into you as evidence regarding Danzō's crimes."

Toru unseals the two folders from one of the two storage seals on his shoulder, and hands them over to the Sandaime. The Hokage of Konoha looks over the folder and meets Toru's gaze before activating the privacy seals. Toru instantly feels the seals activation and the strength; they are of Uzushio origin with few modifications from other sources.

Hiruzen sighs, and surveys the young Uchiha who, for all his talent and experience, is only thirteen years old. Still, the chūnin has done quite well – recovering from a life-threatening injury, if Hiruzen is assuming correctly, and returning to gather evidence on _why_ such a thing occurred. Hiruzen wonders how the chūnin managed it, but he doesn't want to push. He knows that the Uchiha must have read what's in the folders before coming here, must have known what had happened, and Hiruzen doesn't want to push the chūnin until he leaves Konoha. Hiruzen doubts the chūnin would break – the shinobi has been through a massacre, been through torture, been through betray from someone in his village, and he has lived regardless – but he doesn't doubt that the shinobi will simply pack up and leave.

"I knew the truth about the Uchiha massacre," the Hokage reveals. "Danzō, without my orders, knowledge, or permission, forced Itachi-kun to murder his clan. Only afterwards did I learn of what Danzō did to stop the coup d'état from occurring. I learnt only when Itachi-kun reported the deed was done. I ordered ROOT to disband. I thought it had disbanded… Nevertheless," the Hokage continues after a pause, "I perpetuated the cover story that Itachi-kun had acted alone and without cause so that nobody would learn of the Uchiha's plans and so Konoha would not be tarnished for its involvement. Itachi-kun did not want the Uchiha's reputation to be ruined, and before he left, I told him that I would keep young Sasuke-kun safe from Danzō. Your survival was, at that point, still unknown. Currently, Itachi-lun is monitoring an organisation and keeping Konoha informed of said organisation's actions, as well as preventing the organisation from moving against the village. It is, you could say, a long-term mission that he must complete."

"You don't want me to spread my knowledge regarding the massacre," Toru says, words sharp with anger and tinged with frustrated. "You don't want Itachi to come back."

"It is not that," Hiruzen responds, "We need Itachi-kun to keep doing what he is doing currently. We cannot jeopardise that."

"What about Uzushiogakure?" Toru challenges. "What about ROOT? What about Danzō? Something needs to be done – Danzō needs to die…" Toru's expression hardens, "If nothing happens, then I'll release the information I know."

"Oh? Who would believe you? You are a chūnin, and an Uchiha. I am the Hokage. No one will believe you over me," Hiruzen responds.

Toru is an ANBU Commander and an Uzukage, who is the Hokage to try and threaten him? "No," Toru responds. "Something will be done."

The Hokage leans back into his seat and nods his head. "Very well, something will be done," he agrees. "We will need to move quickly, as I'm sure the files will be found missing soon. Are you willing to assist my forces in the battle? Much of ROOT will be on their unauthorised missions and they won't be prepared for a battle. However, much of my ANBU forces are out as well, and I can only have those I trust fight."

"I know some of the base," Toru offers, "and apparently everyone has a seal – possibly a seal to keep silent about ROOT's various activities, I'm not sure. I just know there are seals there."

"Where was the location of the base you found?"

"They were caves underground," Toru answers, "with the entrance that I used being hidden around the back of Akagahara."

"Good work, chūnin," the Hokage says. "Can you tell me about what you saw in this base and map out where you went?"

* * *

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Naruto asks Sasuke in a hushed tone as they near the Ninja Academy, _(they need to pretend that everything is normal, that this is like every other day, they need to pretend that Toru's life isn't at stake and that something big is going on, they need to pretend that everything is alright)_.

Sasuke jerks his head, "It's Toru," he hisses out in explanation, because nothing can bring Toru down. He's survived everything so far, and will continue to do so. The pair enter their homeroom, and trade looks when someone else is in Iruka-sensei's seat.

Two minutes later, the stranger stands up and everyone instantly quietens. "Iruka-sensei has received a mission out of Konoha, so I'll be taking his classes instead. My name is Makoto Oshiro, but you may all call me Makoto-sensei." There's a groan from next to Naruto and Sasuke rolls his eyes at the sleeping lump that his Shikamaru Nara. "Nara-kun, do you have something you want to add?" Makoto says, voice calm in a way that screams danger.

Shikamaru slouches further down into his chair, "Troublesome," he mutters softly. "No Makoto-sensei," he responds loudly so the teacher can hear him. The teacher nods and goes back to saying whatever they had been saying before. "Hey, Naruto," Shikamaru says, glancing at the blonde-haired ninja in training. "I don't feel like doing any work today, think you can prank our teacher so I can miss first session?"

Naruto trades a glance with Sasuke, because this sounds like something fun that will keep their minds off Toru and what he might be doing. "Sounds like good fun," Naruto says with a grin that's all teeth rather than joyfulness. "What are you thinking Sasuke?"

* * *

 **Konohagakure is infiltrated by a supposedly dead man. Kakumau lend their strength and their information and help because favours are owed. The Uchiha Clan's arrogance and pride has clearly always survived, but Toru is finding it helpful in times when he needs to sneak into banks and find new information. What Toru learns is that money ferreted from the Uchiha Clan's account has gone into another account, the transaction overseen by Danzō. A base is infiltrated, one that is not lawful or legal and holds weapons honed and weapons purposefully damage to be harmful and break before they give in. Toru learns of secrets behind the Uchiha Massacre. Toru learns of the truth behind Uzushiogakure's demise and Kirigakure's invasion. Naruto helps out behind smiles and bright blue eyes. The Hokage meets the Uzukage from the past, not that he knows it, and the Uzukage wins the battle. Meanwhile, Shikamaru attempts to get out of classwork via a prank from Naruto and Sasuke's combined efforts.**

* * *

 ** _Wow, I don't have much to say about this chapter at all really. I mean, it's pretty obvious and all what happens and why it happens. It's also a really short chapter (but the chapters in this book may be smaller than the previous book which had, normally, a word count between 7000-10000 per chapter (with some outliers), while this book is going to be about 5000-8000._**

 ** _I was trying to find more to write for this chapter, and there was just nothing to really write. I mean, I could've done all the writing in the files, but the formatting and figuring out how to write it all would've been annoying because writing reports for economic and banking and reports regarding rumours but writing it all as missions? Like that'd be some hard shit to do, also I'm tired and I've been wanting to write more for this chapter for a while and it's been dragging._**

 ** _Now, Toru crying - doesn't really seem in character does it? Guys, look here, Toru was betrayed by his own village, maybe he doesn't recognise it like that but the point is betrayal hurts, always. He learns Konoha is behind the Uchiha massacre and he learns they caused Uzushio's fall - that's like your whole house burns down with your family inside who die and you have no money or anything and you learn your best friend did it all for no valid reason. That's gonna be emotional and it's gonna kill._**

 ** _Alright, so how does one get into the Hokage's office without creating a scene or grabbing everyone's attention? It can't be anything out of the ordinary. Thus, my lovely little brain that doesn't think much thought, what if we used Naruto? Naruto clearly has some sort of relationship with the Hokage, so I decided that they would have visits once a week. Toru doesn't want to do it, but he uses Naruto get him - in a henge - into the Hokage's office, and Naruto can get everyone out by acting as a child and then Toru can appear._**

 ** _The last bit wasn't really planned, but I wanted to show something more about the Academy, the others making friends, and also needed 200 more words to reach 5000 words. I got there, eventually, which is fantastic._**

 ** _Anyway, I kind of will need prompts for this book maybe... I'll have to dip into my missions that were planned for the other book or bring up other ones which I can't do until this whole ROOT and Danzo thing is over._**


	3. Pyrrhic

**GGPD, Yeah ROOT is dealt with in this book, and I was also annoyed with how the Sandaime never did anything, despite clearly knowing about it? Like something should've been done, and he was a Hokage in war so it didn't make sense that nothing was really done? I mean, there are one or two reasons I can think of, but nothing that would mean he did nothing; he should've done something, at the very least.**

 **.1155 Currently, the schedule is to update this book twice a month. However, since it's December, you get an update on Christmas and New Year's, before I return to my normal schedule (as long as I don't forget to update on here). However, if you want to read what else I've got written (and just haven't published on here) feel free to check me out on Archive Of Our Own, where both Sea Dreams and Current Strength are almost fully up. By New Year's - on that website - I'll have the next book's first chapter up as well. I'm also more active on that site as a whole. Anyway, thank you for your kind words as well! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying this series! ^_^**

 **blades (guest review) I... I can't say anything to respond to your comment! You've done an amazing job at thinking what could happen next and I can't actually respond without giving away any spoilers! I'm excited to see what you think as this book/series continues on, because you've definitely seen some events and plot arcs that will happen in the future. It's incredible you've actually figured so much out; I'm in awe.**

 **amixanime - I'm glad to hear you're enjoying thr book thus far!**

 **ChocoGummies - I will admit, that part is one of my favourite sections in the whole series**

* * *

Weapon pouches are checked and filled to the brim with weapons. Explosion tags and bought and stored and prepared. Swords and kunai are sharpened and checked for rust. Armour is polished and put on and then tightened. The last thing to go on are masks, and once put on the ninjas become ANBU and weapons. Armour is checked by teammates and team leaders are briefed and they, in turn, whisper information into the ears of their team.

They are told of a place hidden underground, of children who have been ruined and turned against Konoha's ideals. They are told that the children have been brainwashed into believing Danzō over the Hokage. They are told the aim is to kill Danzō and attempt to take the children into custody. They are told there are few of them, so others will be called in.

Ninjas of high rank and trusted by the Hokage are called in. ANBU members who have retired _(except you never really retire from ANBU)_ are called in. Reserve ANBU who take few missions and have basically retired are called in.

They know that they will be required to go all out. They know they cannot aim to not kill, to not maim. They know that they could die. They are ANBU and they know the risks. They have questions and they lack answers but there is only one thing they need to know, and they know it. They know there is a threat to Konoha, and they know that something must be done.

This is what they know and so, when their Hokage gives them their orders, they turned and masked weapons who façade at being human march to Akagahara.

* * *

If one is part of Konoha's ninja forces and has asked questions about the chūnin Toru Uchiha, they would hear of his mediocre strength and intelligence, they would know that he's just an average run-of-the-house ninja but with a high position as Clan Head due to the _that awful massacre, do you remember it?_ Those who've been on missions with the chūnin would say that the Uchiha's best skill is his stealth. Meanwhile, if those close to Toru are asked, they would give a small smirk and say little on the topic, despite how it may seem.

The reality of the situation is that Toru isn't very well known. He's quiet and fairly unremarkable, despite his position as Clan Head. He trains regularly, sometimes by himself and sometimes with his old team. He takes missions seriously and will listen to advice from others if he's the leader or he'll follow orders if he isn't, but he makes suggestions regardless.

All in all, it can be summed up that Toru's skillset, based off of rumours, is average and pretty normal for a chūnin. Of course, what Toru seems isn't actually what he is. If one is to ask the Uchiha what rank he reckons he is, the only response they'd get is an infuriating smirk. Toru has always been tight-lipped, which any ninja worth their chakra would understand. One always wants to have a hidden kunai up their sleeve. One never knows when one might need an unknown ability.

Toru knows his skills and he believes – rightfully – that he's the only one who needs to know all of them properly. Toru estimates that half of his skills are average to low jōnin level while the rest are high to average chūnin level. Toru doesn't hold back with his skills, he just doesn't show off. He is a _ninja_. Thus, knowing what will most likely happen soon – knowing that he is going up against an army, and that he will need all of his skills and all of his strength – he packs his weapon pouches full and then adds some extra senbon and buckles his katana sheath to his back.

Toru crowds into one of the meeting rooms with numerous other ninjas, stuck between an ANBU and Akimichi Clan Head. Not many of the Clan Heads are there, only a few that keep up with their training and haven't officially taken off the mission roster. With a final word, the Hokage dismisses everyone. Toru waits a breath, and the Hokage meets his eyes, "Stay safe," the Sandaime adds, and then everyone moves out.

There are two main waves and one group that make up the attack force. Toru is part of the second wave, who will follow the first wave of attack three minutes later. The only group created will be the ones to attack Danzō in his place of residence to keep him out of the fight and either capture him or kill him, whichever occurs first. Either way, Danzō will face execution for his crimes against Konoha.

Toru waits for the signal, and the moment he senses the flare of chakra from the ANBU member in charge of their wave, he darts forward. He settles into an easy pace, hidden in shadows as evening falls, and he's somewhere in the middle as the Konoha forces swarm into the base.

There are battles occurring all around him, and Toru is soon attacked by a pair of ROOT agents. Toru's gravity seals have been undone for a while, and his vastly increased speed allows him to slip beneath a tantō and cut through his attacker's tendons in their thigh, effectively hamstringing them. They go down in a hiss of pain and their partner barely pauses – but they do, slightly, and Toru sees it with bright, clear eyes. Toru flips over the person, twisting in the air, and brings down the hilt of his katana on their head. The second agent collapses in a pile beside their partner.

Toru leaps away and finds himself attacked again. He is not surprised that they attack him in groups and straight away. He knows how he appears. He seems smaller than all the others here, less powerful. And yes, maybe he is, but maybe he _isn't._ With gritted teeth and a gash on his shoulder, Toru spins and lashes out with a heavy kick. The space – and time – he gains is invaluable and he flicks through nine hand seals and uses his own created ninjutsu that no one aside from his enemies have actually seen.

"Combination Attack: Fire Hurricane," Toru says coolly, spitting a fireball into the newly created hurricane. The hurricane catches fire and it instantly takes two enemy-nins down before the fire is put out with a water jutsu. The hurricane injures a third ninja before it disperses. Toru grins, teeth gleaming from the flickering flames, and dashes forward, weapons outstretched. He takes down two more ROOT ninjas, wraps a third in a genjutsu, and pulls back enough to check his arm, which has taken another cut.

Toru backflips out of the way of a fireball, and clings to the roof. The attack so far seems to be going well, and after that thought, he's drawn back into the attack. Toru twists out of the way, as another one of the _emptyblank-masks_ brings their sword down where he had stood but a moment ago. Toru is forced to back away again as they attack with a fire jutsu – and, honestly, why does everyone seem to think that his chakra affinity is for fire? Toru dodges around another fire ninjutsu and figures that no one knows because he always ends up in places where there isn't much room to maneuverer and most of his water ninjutsu requires _some kami damned space!_

With a mental swear, Toru goes through another set of hand seals. The enemy-nin rushes forward, but then there are blades of wind rushing forward, and the ROOT-nin almost dodges them, gaining a bad cut on their shoulder, before they're basically upon Toru. Toru takes a step back, flicks through another set of hand seals, and with his face resolute says, "Blade of Wind Hurricane." The hurricane instantly swallows the ROOT-nin, who had conveniently placed themselves right in front of Toru. With something heavy and ugly like guilt resting on his mind, Toru lets the ninjutsu disappear moments later when the damage has occurred. The bleeding ROOT-nin stays still, injured and in pain, and Toru darts away.

 _(These are his orders.)_

Still, Toru is a shinobi who has survived war. He is here with anger still heavy in his heart, and despite the fact that these ROOT ninjas had been given the orders, it still eases something unpleasant within Toru. For Uzushio who fell and the Uchiha who were killed, Toru fights as he has never really fought in this life, putting everything forward and letting himself become what he has always been – a weapon that kills and kills and kills.

He lashes out with seals, not often, but when he can do nothing else and he's surrounded and there's no jutsu that can do what he needs. Those he faces with seals go down, and he's never sure if they will get back up. Toru tries to avoid killing, trying to cripple or knock-out mainly, but there are times when he's being pressed and it's easier to let the blade cut through a throat then use a hilt to hit a head.

Toru grits his teeth and strikes out, chakra surging forward and blade leading. The blow lands and blood blooms and Toru moves on, because he has a village to protect and he can try but he can't save everyone _(some lessons have to be learnt)._

* * *

Koharu smiles gracefully at Homura Mitokado, her genin teammate. They met up often – meaning that Koharu sees her old teammate at least once every fortnight. It is always nice to talk to Homura, to gently push him to see his views on their current Hokage, to gently and slyly get him speaking about his own thoughts regarding Hiruzen and Danzō and their respective roles. Ever since she has become Headmaster of the Ninja Academy, her monthly meetings with Danzō – and Homura – vanished from her schedule. It hadn't been relieving, because Koharu had always firmly believed that Danzō and she were friends, but she doesn't regret her actions – regrets the consequences of such things, certainly and she's grieving for a friendship lost, but she doesn't regret her actions.

Her actions are ensuring the life of Konoha's future ninjas. Her actions are helping keep others safe in the field. She may be retired, as much as anyone ever is, but she is helping Konoha in a way that she hadn't been – she had simply forgotten what Konoha really was, who she had really been. She had been a kunoichi, and a great one. She had heroes who had always been grand, in their old age or not, and Koharu had once thought herself alike to them, to Lady Mito, to Tōka Senju. Apparently she has not been like them at all, and she may never be – Koharu has made her peace with this, _she has._

"I've really enjoyed these meetings," Koharu says after taking a sip of her tea, the chinaware daintily clinking together.

Homura offers her a smile of his own in response. "I, too, enjoy these meetings between us. I do wish Danzō had the time to join us. He always seems so busy nowadays…"

"Do you meet up with him often?" Koharu asks. "It is rather unfortunate how my new positions has taken up so much time. I feel like I'm helping Konoha more than I ever have in recent years."

Homura nods, "Unlike you, I have been unable to gain any position other than my current position on the council. While you have worked on improving the ability of future shinobi, I have worked tirelessly with Danzō to improve Konoha from the inside. Danzō assures me that we have almost reached the last step of our plan."

"It's a shame," Koharu murmurs, eyes dropping down as she lets one fingertip trace the rim of her cup. _It is a shame_ , she thinks, _that Homura refuses to be swayed from Danzō's side. Her old genin teammate completely believes what the old war-hawk has to say; he thinks that Konoha is corrupted and that Danzō is healing it._

"What is?" Homura asks, confused and showing it, but also with a confused squint behind his glasses.

"That Danzō and I no longer have time to catch up – what else?" Koharu asks, faking a questioning tilt of her head.

"There are a lot of things that are shameful in Konoha," Homura says primly. "Hiruzen and his weak, emotion-filled heart, but Danzō is trying to improve things so that Konoha is not so shameful; we cannot, after all, have the other villages thinking that we are an easy target."

"No," Koharu agrees, saddened and already grieving, "we cannot." Without further ado, Koharu whips out a kunai and leans across the table to slit Homura's throat. He dies instantly, poison rushing through his veins and stopping his heart.

She was an ANBU. She was an assassin. She had been one of the best infiltrators that the ANBU Corps had had. She had been proud of her work as a kunoichi. Homura spat on that – on her attempts to rise through the ranks as a kunoichi and on her work as a kunoichi. She had spent months gathering evidence that he was a traitor; she had spent months trying to make him believe that Danzō was not the right answer. She had failed, but there are things to gain from this.

The Headmaster of the Ninja Academy takes a sip of her tea, and places the empty cup on the clean, white china saucer. Something in her mind grows with rage and is mellowed by grief. Homura had said 'future shinobi' and perhaps that isn't what Koharu should be focussing on, but that's what fuels her rage – because Koharu has worked so hard, has worked ceaselessly to remind Konoha that kunoichi are more than simple tools for honeypot missions. To see it have failed in her genin teammate allows Koharu to, not accept, but come to terms with his death. Traitors are always executed.

Koharu remembers, now, with her head bowed and eyes dry because _she is a kunoichi,_ of teammates who had laughed with her, cried with her, respected her as a kunoichi. She remembers Hiruzen coming to her with the news of treason and traitors, and then she had bowed to her Hokage and asked what needed to be done.

Traitors deserved death. Always.

 _(But if Koharu lets tears drip from her eyes in the safety of her own home – well, that's nobody's business at all. However, Koharu admits to herself and herself only, that she grieves for times long past and a world that hadn't been better and had been worse but she had been happy, joyful, back then.)_

* * *

The world shrinks down to become nothing more of a blur of repeating whisper-thoughts and half-plans. Toru thinks _dodge-attack-leapback-watchout-attack-killormaim-defend-instinct-instinct-instinct-butnoteam._ He sometimes almost wavers, an almost thought in the back of his head to step back, let Kame block the blow and engage in taijutsu before he remembers that _Kame is not here_. When he has his shoulder dislocated, he kicks his enemy back and almost waits for someone to come engage the target and someone else to heal his shoulder – but there is no Tora here, so Toru pops his shoulder back into place and keeps moving. There's a moment when he almost dies, because he's flicking through hand seals but _not quick enough_ and there's no Tori here to block the blow coming to him – but then there's someone masked on his side blocking the blow and jumping out of the way as a nasty jutsu knocks the enemy to the ground and they don't get back up.

Somewhere between one battle and the next, one lifetime and the next, he starts working with someone else. They don't work well, but they cover each other's backs for the most part. The elk-masked ANBU excels at driving the enemy into one of Toru's deadly ninjutsu and keeping someone occupied while Toru darts through hand seals. Similarly, Toru gives the ANBU time to flick through their own hand seals and weave genjutsu around their targets.

For the most part, though, they just watch one another's backs and engage in taijutsu with weapons and swords. There is little room to maneuverer within the tunnels, and wide-scale ninjutsu and genjutsu have the ability to attack both allies and foes. It isn't worth it, and so most ninjas keep to small ninjutsu and genjutsu and attacking with their bodies and all their available weapons.

"You!" Someone shouts, and Toru finds himself blown away by screaming wind, and he hits the cave wall heavily, feels something in his chest give way, and then he's chocking–

"Danzō," he snarls out, lashing out with his feet and anchoring it with wind chakra. The elder man dodges the blow, lets go of Toru, only to stab Toru in the shoulder with a kunai infused with lightning chakra.

Toru clamps down on the scream that barely leaves his throat, before he throws himself forward, recklessly, but moving away from his enemy. The ANBU who he had been working with, gives Danzō a moment of pause, and then she's out of the battle and on the floor with a gut injury.

Toru knows that there's a door nearby, and without hesitating, he steps backwards and through it. He finds himself in a large room – probably a training hall of some sort. Danzō approaches him, weapons flying and ninjutsu powering them forward.

Toru doesn't even take the time to breath, sinking down into the ground with an earth ninjutsu, crushing a soldier pill between two molars, and then he's out of the ground. His chakra flares and fills his veins as he opens the seal on his chest, allowing the stored chakra to assimilate with his own; it's slow, but it fills the gap where Toru's own chakra is sucked into jutsu after jutsu.

Toru does his best, desperate and breathing, to survive – he could try to win, but surviving is giving him enough trouble. He uses fire ninjutsu after fire ninjutsu, only to find himself blocked with a repertoire of water ninjutsu. He can't really switch to earth ninjutsu, because he knows so little about it and the only ninjutsus he knows are low-ranked with only one B-rank he knows only creates a mud wall. He switches to wind, daring the other to meet and overpower his wind ninjutsus.

 _Almost equal_ , Toru thinks and it sounds like a curse and maybe it is – because they are almost equal regarding their wind jutsus. Every one Toru casts out is met and cancelled out by another powerful one, because Toru refuses to put all his chakra into one jutsu and his jutsus are made for area-wide attacks or short-range attacks neither of which are useful against one enemy. Toru dives into the ground, only to find himself pulled out as chakra overwhelms the chakra he puts into the earth jutsu.

Toru leaps backward, back flipping and darting around one jutsu, slipping behind a next, escaping a genjutsu, and landing on solid ground – he dives forward, katana outstretched, but then it's parried and Toru gains nothing but a stupidly deep gash on his thigh and he's limping now, _Kami damn it!_

There's nothing Toru can really do, and he's failing here, and he knows it. And then he's no longer alone, and there's a team of ANBU swarming around him, focussing on Danzō and trying to take him down. Toru escapes to the back of the hall, because he knows that he'd be useless and would simply disrupt the teamwork of the teams. However, there's a momentary pause when Danzō's throat is cut, blood dripping down his front, and then the injury is gone like it had never been there. Toru swears and leaps forward, too far back and too far behind to do anything, and then there's an ANBU member on the ground and dying as blood fills their lungs. Another ANBU member is frozen, and they almost manage to escape Danzō's wrath, catching a wind-infused kunai to the torso, which tears and cuts in a sweeping gesture from shoulder to hip.

There's a callousness here that Toru expected but it's also more than he expected, because this man is willing to kill his own forces, the people he's sworn to protect, in order to further his goals. This man is a traitor.

The ANBU teams attack again, two members down and a third member critically injured but still in the fight – but others fall below Danzō quickly enough, and then there are six members left.

Toru charges forward, finds his footing, and manages to be enough of an annoyance to irritate Danzō but out of the way enough that he doesn't disrupt the ANBU teams at work. He does the small things, avoiding using all his chakra, and trips Danzō up by raising the ground a tiny bit and creating a ditch. He ensnares Danzō in a genjutsu that the man easily escapes, but it gives one ANBU enough room to land a deathly injury through Danzō's torso, but then the injury is gone and the ANBU is dead.

They manage to land three more death-blows, but lose three ANBU while doing so. Toru doesn't have a chance to catch his breath, and lets himself drop completely into his instincts, focussing solely on survival. He clicks into a pattern with the other ANBU, and they all manage to work together to avoid being killed by Danzō.

Toru's muscle suddenly freeze, and he finds himself stuck, unable to do anything other than blink. Danzō stands a few metres in front of him, and Toru realises that he's staring at a sharingan eye and that means that Danzō has _stolen_ eyes and this _cannot stand._ Toru tries to move, anger filling him but he can't move–!

Danzō starts speaking, but then he stops and shakes and Toru finds himself able to leap backwards and escape the red, piercing gaze of the stolen sharigan _(that accuses and accuses because Toru should've been able to stop this from happening)_. The other ANBU move too, and by then Danzō has stopped shaking – somehow shaking off the lethal poisonous gas from one of Toru's summons because Toru knows how to hide and how to gain the upper hand – he just didn't expect Danzō to be incapable of dying _(surely if you kill a person enough times they remain dead at one point)_.

Chakra rises like a wave within Toru and Toru deftly goes through a set of hand seals. "Water Release: Sphere Prison," Toru says and like he commands, water swells and gathers around Danzō, who attempts to escape but with an increase of chakra from Toru, the speed of the water grows and the water wraps around Danzō.

Toru grits his teeth as Danzō's own chakra starts attempting to corrupt the jutsu, and Toru is drops down to his knees as his chakra is drained as he tries to hold Danzō underwater in the hope that the man drowns. Almost a minute later, Danzō finally has his chakra taint the water that Toru's chakra controls, and the ninjutsu bursts outward as Danzō escapes.

Toru curses and tries to get to this feet, but then there are teams of ANBU racing forward and all Toru can feel is the weight of a village on his shoulders and the pain of a clan massacre in his bones. He isn't really aware of what happens, but between one attack and the next, Danzō finally fell.

Toru pulls himself onto weak legs that feel like jelly and forces himself to stand steady. There are ANBU gathering around Danzō's body and Toru's overused and abused senses are telling him that the Sandaime is approaching, chakra roiling and burning bright. Someone may be trying to take him to the hospital, but Toru stumbles back two steps and shakes his head.

"No," he says obstinately. "I need to see the body burnt," and he isn't really in any state to demand such a thing; he's bleeding and probably in need of medical care but he can't feel most of his injuries currently. Moreover, he needs to ensure that Danzō is dead and stays dead – also that the sharingan is destroyed so no one else can use it. If Toru really needs, he can use his position as Uchiha Clan Head to enforce it, but… but power has been abused enough already, and Toru almost wants to let this go. He needs to see this to the end though. Toru's chakra is acting like lightning, sharp edges and twisting woven lines, and he feels cut up and like fractured glass. He wonders if anyone else can feel it.

"Very well," the ANBU says. "His body is being destroyed now." Toru watches as _redorangebluewhite_ flames swallow the corpse of a traitor, of an old man, and thinks that it's all over now.

 _(It's all over now.)_

 _(Justice has been granted.)_

* * *

The ANBU Commander of Konohagakure stands in the Hokage's office feeling somewhat uneasy with his current task. The recent battle that majority of the ANBU Corps fought in, along with various other trusted Konoha-nin, had caused a decrease in ANBU numbers, and everyone is struggling and scrambling to fill the gaps. It would have been easier if that is the only problem, but along with the loss of some of their force, the ANBU Corps also have to deal with an influx of unknowns from the officially disbanded ROOT organisation – ninjas who are deadly, who are weapons, but don't really know how to be human. Many of the ROOT agents have been forced out of service or imprisoned based on their mental state. However, many have been slotted for active service, and ANBU is the place for most of them considering the ANBU ninjas may be the only ones strong enough to put down a rogue ROOT agent.

Thus, the ANBU Commander has increased recruitment and has a select team searching for recruits from the recruitment forms and recommendations for promotion to ANBU. Along with the increased recruitment and training of new members – and subsequent crushing of new members – there has been a call for most official and unofficial retired ANBU to return to full-service until there is a time when they are needed less _(for there is never a time when ANBU isn't needed)._ The ANBU Commander technically can select whoever he wants to enter the ANBU Corps – the Hokage will sign off on it, but rarely do they ever cause a fuss regarding who enters. There are limits to the Commander's powers, and he does have to ask the Hokage special permission regarding clan members and ninjas of interest, along with ninjas below the age of seventeen. Frustrating, but it normally works out alright.

"Commander!" The Sandaime says, and the ANBU Commander straightens as his uneasy feeling triples, "You cannot be serious. Do you remember what happened last time we put someone this young into the ANBU Corps?" The ANBU Commander doesn't bite the words coming to his lips, for he is in full control of himself and although he allows a hint of disgruntlement in his mind, he doesn't show it in any way.

"Sandaime-sama, forgive me for saying so," he continues blandly, ignoring the killing intent and glare he can sense, "but the last time we put someone similar to this age into the ANBU Corps, they became one of our best members. Furthermore, said person was put in two years younger and below the minimum age requirements, which this person meets." What he doesn't say is how the last young recruit that the ANBU had taken – Itachi Uchiha – had been against all recommendations and the ANBU Commander had condoned it but had taken in the recruit, against his own will, due to the Sandaime's orders. "Recruit 3487," the Commander continues, "has already shown aptitude for ANBU, was tapped by ANBU recruitment approximately two years ago. Furthermore, he has shown willingness to complete missions and work alongside an ANBU team successful. Not to mention the events he has caused within Konoha – the overhaul of the Academy that led to the discovery of the spies within our ranks, and the bringing down of the organisation ROOT and Danzō."

"I am aware of this Commander," the Hokage says coldly. "But you are forgetting your place, this is a chūnin who has only been a ninja for two years. Most – if not all – ANBU and recruits have held their rank as a ninja for a minimum of five years, if not more. Yet, here you are, telling me you wish to recruit a boy who hasn't even been tapped as jōnin material."

"And yet his record and missions demonstrate the intelligence needed for being a jōnin and his capability as both a leader and a follower. His skills, as demonstrate in the recent battle, are – for the most part – equal to a jōnin, with few being around a high chūnin level," the Commander points out. He isn't annoyed or frustrated, because he is here as part of the ANBU and as the one leading ANBU, but there's a trickle of something like irritation in the back of his mind, because the Hokage saw the name first and then didn't bother reading the rest of the file. There is a reason why Recruit 3487 has been tapped by ANBU and why the Commander wants to recruit him.

"What evidence is there that he won't be another… rogue ANBU?" The Hokage asks, and the ANBU Commander carefully makes sure he doesn't sigh, despite his own wishes. The Hokage is insinuating that the recruit will end up like Itachi Uchiha, which isn't fair to either of them. First off, Itachi had been forced into the ANBU due to political reasons and a whole lot of crap that the Commander never believed. Secondly, the Commander had personally wanted to refuse Itachi's application to join ANBU based on the belief that the twelve-year-old was both too young and wouldn't cope within ANBU. It hadn't been hard to see that the then boy didn't enjoy being a ninja terribly much. Moreover, Recruit 3487's psychological report highlights the steadiness and calmness that is always wanted in an ANBU member, but rarely gotten. In addition to the brief reported torture the chūnin had undergone, and his subsequent return to Konoha, there is evidence that the recruit is loyal to Konoha first and foremost, and will always return.

"Sir," the ANBU Commander returns evenly, carefully, "ignoring the evidence that points to the loyalty of Recruit 3487 and his mental health and that his recruitment form is two years old, we need more ANBU to fill our ranks. Those who died in battle will be honoured, but we are calling almost everyone out of retirement to manage teams with the ROOT members who will need to be reintegrated slowly into society, along with completing missions for Konoha. I would," he continues, picking his words and finding a sentence that is not so much as fabrication as it is once-held belief, "prefer it if the recruit was older, but we cannot do anything about someone's age. Also, if it helps ease your mind Sandaime-sama, there is no evidence that he will successfully pass and complete the entrance requirements and tests."

"No," the Sandaime says slowly, finally letting his eyes roll down the page as he reads. The ANBU Commander doesn't lose his posture or relax, but tension slip out of his muscles as if it had never been there. "I see his potential," the Hokage admits, and the Commander remains steady unsure of whether he is meant to respond or not. "Very well. Commander!" The leader of the ANBU meets his leader's heavy gaze. "I will allow this requirement if certain criteria is met."

"Yes sir. May I request the criteria?"

"You may," the Hokage says, blowing out a ring of smoke. "Psychological evaluations every month until I am certain of his mental health and his ability to cope with ANBU missions. Furthermore, he has a position in this village to fill and he will fill it. The maximum time he can be away from Konohagakure is two months – it may be stretched to three months if the mission calls for it. In addition, he will have at least twenty-four hours off a week if he is in Konohagakure at the time and not working a mission."

The Commander feels his facial features tighten, safe behind his mask so that the tell is not seen. The criteria that the Hokage sets out is unreasonable. The evaluations make sense with the history of the recruit and his family, not to mention what he has gone through, but every month is excessive. Not to mention, the more often a ninja goes to a psychological evaluation, the more they learn about right answers and avoiding answering questions – or lying to give the necessary answers to remain on the mission rosters. The day off thing made sense, considering who the recruit often interaction with, not to mention who they lived with. However, such things are often left to the ANBU team's captain to decide. In this case, though, it couldn't be helped. The time restriction is probably the worst thing the Hokage could've done. Missions running on time is a rarity in ANBU, and some of the most important investigations and infiltrations run for months, sometimes years.

All in all, the criteria is very much like a cage. "Very well, Hokage-sama," the Commander says with a bow, letting the Hokage aware of his anger at the criteria through his title.

"I will also choose the recruit's team," the Hokage adds.

"Request denied, sir," the Commander responds straight away. The Hokage, for some unknown reason, is too close to the target and he is being biased. Biased towards the recruit's ability to cope within ANBU and survive and actually be part of the force, and biased in regards to giving him specific team. "Teams have already been made up. He will fill a gap like all recruits. It will be decided which team will suit his abilities and his personality the best. I have a team who are specialised for making ANBU teams and ensuring they work smoothly. They are better to handle this than you, Sandaime-sama, as they have made teams for years and are aware of triggers that each ninja may carry."

"You forget your place Commander," the Sandaime says, voice low and gravelly and threaded with killing intent. The Commander remains firm despite it all, because really the Hokage is too close to this and the one who has forgotten his place. He cannot afford to be biased. "Alright. You may decide your teams. Dismissed."

The Commander salutes and disappears in a hastily trigged shunshin that is still smooth. He allows himself to breathe in one of the abandoned, hidden tunnels of the ANBU. He clearly has no favour with the Hokage currently, and it will be some time before the Hokage decides to ignore the ANBU Commander's indirect subordination – unless he recognises his own failings, but the Commander will doubt that will happen. People rarely see their own faults and acknowledge their own shortcomings, ninjas are more capable of seeing it all but when they get close and personal, their inability to see it more than triples.

Still, the Commander has his recruit and he knows the perfect team to place the recruit on.

* * *

 **Fights are fought and fought and fought again, and battles rage on as a war starts – a war that has been a long time coming. Koharu finds herself down two friends but cannot find it within herself to regret what has happened – possibly because of what has been done. Treason and traitors are not allowed in Konoha. As the battle comes to a close, lives are lost and amongst them is Danzō. As a result of the lost lives, the ANBU starts picking out recruits.**

* * *

 ** _I don't think I'm going to reach my word count for this book. Like, this is around the halfway mark and I'm only reaching 18,000 words. My backup word count aim (?) is 39,000 and I don't know if I'll make that, but we'll see. I have some things that will act as fillers. Those will be fun!_**

 ** _So, the first few hundred words or whatever is completely about the ANBU and everyone marching in on the ROOT base. And from there, I skip straight into the battle beside Toru. It... didn't go like I expected it at all. I was expecting to mention Uzushio and the massacre more, but instead Toru gets stuck in battle after battle without time to think anything else._**

 ** _Koharu, I love you. My actual plan for her bit was just make her seem 'fucking epic because we need more kick-ass female characters and why are so many of your main characters male' probably because I'm using canon characters often and bloody creator of the Naruto world didn't understand how to make fucking epic female characters who took no shit. Anyway, Koharu is a blessing upon this work. She is a kunoichi first and foremost, so when she is told by Hiruzen that Danzō needs to go down, she's like - I agree. I will take down Homura, partially because she feels like part of this is her fault - which it isn't, because no one really saw her as a kunoichi so she had been used, so maybe it is partly her fault actually - but also for something like closure but isn't. So, when the forces attack the ROOT base, Koharu kills Homura. Anyway, you don't get to see much of Koharu, so you'll have to contend with this for now. I'm not sure if she will come back at all._**

 ** _And then we go back to the fighting with my - probably - favourite character Toru! And then the dick Danzō comes. Realistically, there is no way that Toru could've killed Danzō, also no one Toru could've known about the sharigan and the implants and Danzō's almost immortality. Anyway, Toru would be squashed easily by Danzō, but Toru isn't alone. Also, Danzō had previously been fighting the Hokage before he escaped and located Toru and attacked Toru because who else could've done this? Also, Toru is basically exhausted when Danzō is killed and he really doesn't know what he's seeing. Therefore, he doesn't make a big deal regarding Danzō dying and finally going down. He's barely staying conscious to be honest._**

 ** _Anyway, we get to move into the ANBU recruitment arc thingy while everything else starts settling. You'll get to see more of that in the next chapter, maybe. Also, the Sandaime was entirely in the wrong to respond as he did - I agree with the Commander, he's way too close to the whole thing. Also note that the Commander doesn't know the real truth behind the massacre and so forth - but more on that later._**


	4. Friendship

**ChocoGummies Indeed, Danzo is dead! Koharu is really cool, and we started seeing this in Sea Dreams, but you did see it in the previous chapter as well. She doesn't become a major character, though. Now, Toru and ANBU... Guess you'll have to see how it goes! After all, he still has to make it through the trials.**

 **(Early) Happy New Year guys! Enjoy this double update.**

* * *

"Hokage-sama," Toru greets from his hospital bed, not at all wanting to deal with this situation while in hospital – not wanting to deal with the situation at all, but the Hokage is _here_ and there's nothing Toru can do about it. He feels like he should bow or salute or something, but he's injured and healing and he's tired of all of this, not to mention sore. "Is this about my report?" He asks, even though he knows the answer.

"No," the Sandaime responds even as he sits down on one of the kami awful hospital chairs. It's clear this isn't going to be an easy or short conversation, or maybe the Hokage is still injured and feeling too sore to stand, _(Toru hopes that's the case)_. "Your report was satisfactory. This is about what you know."

 _(Like he thought.)_

Toru thinks about a clan killed, a village lost, and meets the Sandaime's solemn and saddened gaze. "I want to tell Sasuke the truth of the massacre," Toru says, his tone adamant, and something causes the Sandaime to survey the young chūnin.

"Why?"

Toru's first response should be an explanation as to why Sasuke _deserves_ to know, but this is a military village and they are soldiers first and foremost. For all that emotion plays an important part of being human, an emotional explanation as to why Sasuke merits the truth will not fly far. Thankfully, Toru has other responses to use and ones he has cultivated with all the time he's had resting.

"It's highly probable that Sasuke's ambition and hatred of Itachi will lead him to track Itachi down and potentially kill him. Itachi is likely to allow Sasuke to kill him, as seen with how he prioritises Sasuke over his own wellbeing. This will ultimately negatively impact Sasuke and I am sure he will need to be taken off the mission rosters for therapy and so forth – and it will also impact Naruto, who will stick with Sasuke through thick and thin. Furthermore, it's easy to twist the truth into something similar but vastly different – for example, if Sasuke was to learn that Konoha had given Itachi orders to execute the clan, he might believe it. Thus, he would probably turn against Konoha. As a result, Naruto would look for him and do his best to stop him from destroying Konoha, but Naruto would be unable to kill Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, might see this as a betrayal – Naruto agreeing with Konoha that the Uchiha Clan deserves to be massacred – and will strive to ignore all of Naruto's actions and his words. I'm not entirely sure what the outcome of the hypothetical situation would be, but any Uchiha feels strongly, feels too much. It is an easy thing to hand oneself over to one's emotions. Sasuke could easily hand himself over to hate, and not even his love for Naruto could stop him from wanting to destroy Konoha if he wanted to – Sasuke is _ambitious_ and he would be hateful from the betrays he never expected, whether they occurred or not."

"And where are you in all of this, Toru-kun?"

Toru… hadn't thought about that, because he wouldn't be beside Sasuke against Konoha as Naruto would never leave Konoha and Toru had people here – Konoha's residents included Shou, Kiku, Iruka, Fuyuko, and Mitsuko. Toru meet's the Hokage's gaze once again, and says evenly, "I would be beside Naruto."

The Sandaime seems to see something in Toru and nods. "Very well," he says, standing up and gaining an air of respect and strength, "You may tell Sasuke of the truth, but ensure no one else knows of it. This is an S-ranked secret."

Toru nods, "Of course, Hokage-sama," he murmurs softly, dipping his head as the Sandaime leaves his room. Once the door shuts with a disturbingly loud click, Toru lets his body relax and wonders if – as a reincarnated Uzushio shinobi – he should be lying to the Hokage.

 _(The truth of the matter is that Toru can't say for sure he would stand beside Naruto – he doesn't think he could stand at all if his family was fighting each other.)_

* * *

Toru moves at an extremely slow pace from the main street into the Clan Compound. He's quickly greeted with a cacophony of noise. The main square – nicknamed Shūsanki Square by the ever changing, ever moving merchants and by the new residents of the Uchiha Clan Compound – is, as usual, fairly full with people from both within and outside the compound buying from the numerous merchants. "Uchiha-sama," someone calls from the line of small stores that fill the edge of the square.

Toru makes his way over easily, slipping between people regardless of the way his body aches. "Shiro-san," he says in greeting. "How's business going?"

"Right and as well as ever," the baker returns with a wide grin. "Good to see you again, Uchiha-sama. We've got some new things we're tryin' out. I've got a few saved in the back for you and your lot."

"You don't have to," Toru says, raising his voice as the baker goes deeper into his store to grab the mentioned food.

"I want to," Shiro responds, words thick with sincerity and clogged with gratitude. Toru's hands close over the brown paper bag.

"Thank you, then," Toru says. "Say hello to the rest of the family for me."

"I'll pass on your greetings," Shiro says and Toru slips back into the crowd. It doesn't take too long to slip out of Shūsanki Square and into the actual compound, and Toru welcomes the _bright-concealed-safety-protection-warmth_ of the hidden ward and security seals. He continues moving down the street, still slow compared to his usual easy and quick walk, but despite the healing he's been given, he's still sore. Realistically, he's only sore because any healing done by chakra is simply natural healing sped up. It uses up resources from the body at a quicker pace, resulting in Toru feeling more tired as well. Not to mention, with the hospital's main medic-nins focussing on those critically injured, Toru only had the worst of his injuries healed.

He has a few days off before he'll get any missions though. That's something. "Good morning, Uchiha-sama," someone greets as they walk past.

"Morning Chieko-san," Toru greets, watching as a group of dogs bound past, some walking at the woman's heels while others running around. "Taking the dogs for a walk?"

"They do need their exercise," the woman jokes as she heads back to the veterinary clinic she runs with her husband, Nori. The pair had been the first to set up a business, and are the first ones that Toru and Sasuke asked. The pair often swap jobs with one running the clinic for the day while the other helps out at the shelter. Either way, there is always someone friendly working, and the couple are eminent for taking in those needing jobs or job experience.

Toru whistles loud and long, letting his chakra flicker and flare softly for a moment, before he allows it to go back to normal. There's a bark from somewhere, and Toru hears the scrabbling of paws as Haruto bursts around the corner before skidding to a halt in front of Toru. "Good boy," Toru says, instantly stroking the big dog's head. The wolfhound cross is easily taller than Toru's hip. While the other dogs can all be identified by collars that have the Uchiha Clan symbol, Haruto is known to most by his single floppy ear and by being trustworthy around anyone who lives in the compound.

Toru is about to head back to the apartment, because he had only really come to get Haruto who had been guarding the former Clan Head's house where all the weapons are stored, when he hears his name being called.

"Ai-san, is everything alright?" He asks instantly. Ai Agawa, thirty-four years who has three adopted children often looks frazzled, but rarely to the state she currently runs towards Toru in.

"Have you seen Taro?" She asks, completely ignoring Toru's question. "He's been missing for two hours now and I have yet to find him in the compound. I don't think he wandered into Konoha, but – kami – if he did, all the awful things that could happen to him–! I don't have the ability to search everywhere before he moves and, Uchiha-sama, I don't have the money to make it a mission and I've left Rei with Tsuyoshi who – I think – is looking after Rei more than Rei is looking after Tsuyoshi, and he's taken the day off without telling his boss and _what if he gets fired_!"

"Ai-san," Toru says, telegraphing the move and placing his hands on the woman's shoulders and applying a little bit of pressure. "You should've come to me straight away. I need something that carries Taro's scent."

"You're going to track him?" Ai asks with a confused expression. "I know ninjas are skilled, but you can do that through scent?"

"Haruto can," Toru says, gesturing to the wolfhound mix who stands tall beside him.

"Oh, right, of course," Ai says. "You will try to be quick? He's six, I can only imagine how scared and worried he must be…"

"We'll be as fast as we can," Toru assures. "You live at Sani and Yorimoto's, don't you?"

"Yes," Ai says, and Toru carefully shows no sign of pain as his thigh throbs, his chest stings, and his shoulders burn warningly.

"I'll move faster, and meet the others there so we can find Taro-kun faster," Toru offers and Ai nods as she determinedly moves even faster. Toru whispers sharply at Haruto, "Follow," he orders, and with a pulse of chakra _(his pathways tingle in warning and he isn't meant to use chakra for another day at least)_ leaps to the rooftops of the Uchiha Clan Compound and move at a rapid pace to reach the Agawa's house. Haruto moves below him on the streets, almost keeping pace but slipping through alleys and shortcuts while Toru just climbs rooftops and leaps streets, chakra giving him the edge he needs to clear the gaps.

Toru leaps down over an edge and takes a few seconds to regain his breath and stand upright. He – doesn't regret doing he did because every second counts, but he – aches so much. Stiffly moving, Toru knocks sharply on the door, which is thrown open by seventeen-year-old Tsuyoshi. "What do you want?" The other boy asks, "'Cause we've got other problems to worry about then rent."

"I need something that smells like Taro-kun for Haruto to track. As long as it doesn't rain, we should find him quickly," Toru explains.

"And if it rains?" Tsuyoshi says, "What will you tell my parents then?"

"I'll tell them I've paid for a mission, what else would I tell them?" Toru says, "But if we keep talking, we'll just lose more time."

"Find him, Uchiha-sama," someone says, walking up on civilian-quiet footsteps. Tsuyoshi scowls and steps out of the way, allowing Rei – Ai's wife – to step forward with a top. "If you don't… do you really mean to pay for a mission?"

Toru nods even as he takes the T-shirt and crouches down, every muscle protesting the movement. "Yes, Rei-san," he responds. "Haruto, find," Toru orders. The massive brindle dog sniffs the t-shirt before scenting the air. He huffs and puts his noise to the ground and starts sniffing. "Where was Taro-kun last?" He asks, watching as Haruto circles.

"Here," Rei says, "he said he was feeling sick, so I went to take Shinju to school and Ai was here. She said she let Taro out to play in the backyard while she cleaned the dishes from breakfast, and he was gone by the time Tsuyoshi got up and Ai was in hysterics."

"Right," Toru says. He fixes his gaze on Tsuyoshi, "I'll find Taro-kun, look after your parents."

"Of course," Tsuyoshi says defensively and Toru doesn't bother to respond, calling Haruto to him with a whistle and slipping between two houses to get to the small yard. Haruto quickly picks up a trail and sets off at a quick lope. Toru follows, settling into a jog that has his muscles aching but doesn't pull on anything or require chakra.

There's a momentary pause when Haruto stops, following the trail a few metres down one path before backtracking and barking at another trail, and then sitting down and looking at Toru. Toru heads down the path that Haruto barked at, knowing that it meant that that path has a more recent scent.

As if getting closer to his target is the sign the clouds needed, it started raining like a Konoha storm – bucketing down. A swear tears itself out of Toru's mouth, and he starts hoping that Haruto finds the boy soon. Haruto lets out a short howl, the sound rising above the sound of rain pouring onto roofs and paved streets. Toru jerks into a dash, chakra assisting him and easing the strain on his muscles as Haruto takes off at an absurdly fast pace.

Haruto comes to a stop in front of a dark alleyway that Toru knows is a dead end. "Stay," Toru orders, and Haruto lies down, fur dark with rain but the hound stays regardless. Toru brushes the hair plastered to his face out of his eyes as he enters the alley. The area he's in is the only section of the compound that no one lives in – for good reason. It's nestled out of the way and near the forest training ground, and Toru tends to leave supplies for the street kids who need it – the Kakumau kids deliver it around to who needs it and help out where Toru can't.

"Hey, Taro-kun," Toru calls out softly. "It's Toru Uchiha, I don't know if you remember me. Your parents asked me to come get you; they're really worried about you. I think you might want to get out of this rain as well. A warm bath and a hot chocolate sounds really nice right now, don't you think?"

"Uchiha-sama?" A small voice calls out, and a tiny body throws itself at Toru with the strength of a six-year-old civilian. "My parents say to trust you and I don't know where I am and I'm scared," the boy whines, crying. Toru picks him up, wincing at the strain it places on his shoulders – one of which has a stitched cut that will probably require more treatment now – and tightens his grip on the six-year-old.

"I'm going to take you home, Taro-kun," Toru says soothingly, "but we're going to move fast and up high, so you need to not wriggle about too much. Okay?" The boy nods into Toru's chest and Toru leaves the alley. "Haruto, follow," he says, taking to the roofs once again. Although warned against using his chakra, Toru converts his chakra to fire natured chakra so that the water steams of his skin and Taro stays war – with the added side effect of raising his own temperature, indicating that Toru doesn't quite have the chakra control for it yet.

It's harder than normal to leap from one rooftop to the next with the water pounding and running down the tiles. He only almost slips once, which is quite an achievement, before making it back to Taro's family. He leaps down onto the ground, and the door opens before he even reaches it. Toru lets Taro down and the boy runs – sometime having stopped crying – to his family.

Toru pauses out in the rain, body hurting, and wondering whether to head home in the torrent. Haruto finally reaches him, and a wet body presses itself against his already soaking legs. "Uchiha-sama, hurry up and come in!" Ai calls out, voice alight with happiness. Toru hesitates before hurrying inside as thunder booms. "Bring that big dog with you!"

Inside, Toru is quickly handed a set of civilian clothes – Tsuyoshi's most likely – and a towel and pointed to the bathroom with Ai confirming that she can towel dry Haruto. Toru quickly changes, pulling off his clothes – a pair of civilian clothes that are made for easy movement – and drying himself off, before putting on the dry clothing he's been offered. Toru stores his clothes away, and exits the bathroom.

He wanders down the hallway, and pauses before the scene in the living room. Taro is tucked between Ai and Rei with a blanket over him and a towel resting on his head. In his hands is a mug of, what Toru guesses, is hot chocolate. Tsuyoshi is on an armchair opposite the couch, his own hands curled around a mug and a relaxed set to his shoulders.

"Thank you, Uchiha-sama," Rei says, looking up. "I don't know how we can thank you."

"You could try by calling me by my name," Toru offers half-heartedly, because he's given up convincing everyone in the compound to call him anything but Uchiha-sama. Rei's lips twitch up into a small smile.

"You deserve the name – more now than ever," Rei responds. "I know you'll only stay until the rain eases up, but you are welcome here anytime. Your help today has been invaluable."

"I'm only sorry I wasn't here earlier," Toru responds. "It would've been helpful if there had been someone on hand to help – even a… hmm…" Toru hums before glancing out the window – the rain is lightening.

"You are here now," Ai says, "That's the important thing."

"What are you considering setting up?" Rei asks.

"If we can have others like Haruto around," Toru says, motioning to the dog lying beneath the window, "if anyone got lost, they would be able to get help quickly. There… used to be the military police, but now there ninjas who focus on civilian problems but anything requiring an investigation is taken up as a mission and, thus, needs to be filed as one."

"You thinking of setting up a training centre?" Tsuyoshi asks, finally speaking. "Like, setting up a place that creates a partnership between a dog and a person to help others?"

"Yeah," Toru says, "but I'd need people who can train dogs and help others out. Not to mention get some of dogs – probably more like Ken than Haruto… so, they'd probably use Shepherd Hounds."

"You could use some of the dogs from Amachi's Refuge," Rei offers thoughtfully. "I mean, they aren't all Shepherd Hounds, but many of them could be trained and if don't make it through training, well, someone will adopt a well-trained dog rather than an untrained one."

"That's a good idea," Toru says thoughtfully. "I'll get onto that."

"Got any idea of who will help out?" Tsuyoshi says, voice nervous and concerned.

Toru shrugs in response, "Haven't really had much time to think about it. You offering?"

"Yes," Tsuyoshi says. "I would've been able to help sooner," a mulish expression crosses the teen's face, "and I got fired from my most recent job about a week ago when Ju-chan was sick and no one else could look after her."

"You said it was fine!" Ai exclaims. "Where have you been going each day then?"

"I've been looking for a job," Tsuyoshi explains, "I didn't want to worry either of you."

Toru cuts in before a family argument can start, "I'll contact you, Tsuyoshi-san, about it all," he says quietly. "I think you'd be a great help. Depending on how well the organisation works out here in the compound, I'll see at expanding it into the village itself." He glances out the window once again, "I should make tracks, though. I need to head back and organise some things. I'll return the clothes tomorrow."

"Stay safe, Uchiha-sama," Ai says, "and thank you for everything." Toru dips his head in a nod and leaves, Haruto at his side.

* * *

"It was so cool," the ten-year-old whispers softly in an awed voice.

"I suppose he is," her friend responds in a slightly dismissive tone. "I don't know though, I can think of something better to do with our time."

"Ino!" The girl hisses at her friend, "Our time can never be better spent than watching this."

"Nothing's even happening," Ino whispers back at her pink-haired friend, taking care to keep her voice down.

"I'm aware," Sakura says back with a frown. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Ino; I really thought something cool was going to happen."

"It's alright," Ino responds with a smile, her friend's crush is cute honestly. "I can wait out with you for a bit longer to see if anything happens though."

Sakura Haruno shakes her head. "I won't keep you here," she whispers to her friend. "Anyway, Shikamaru-san was sleeping in foreign affairs when I left, so you probably want to go wake him up and make sure he eats."

Ino shakes her head, "That boy…" She trails off and looks at Sakura, "You'll be alright yeah?"

"Of course," Sakura says with a bright grin. "I'll tell you if anything amazing happens after lunch, okay? We have a class together then."

Ino chuckles softly and wraps Sakura in a hug. "You're the only person I know who has their timetable memorised. I'll see you later!" With a wave, Ino skips off, heading towards the main academy building. Sakura turns her head to peek between the bushes again, her green eyes focussing on Sasuke Uchiha.

Meanwhile, in one of the Academy's training grounds, Naruto and Sasuke final finish eating their lunch. "They still there?" Sasuke asks quietly, because although he's better that Naruto at some ninja skills, Naruto outstrips him in regards to stealth and trapping.

"Yeah, but one's gone," Naruto responds. "The pink haired one is still there. It's weird, dude."

Sasuke makes a sound of agreement. "She's stalking us," he responds.

"Nah," Naruto says with a shake of his head, "she's stalking you. I have nothing to do with this. In fact, if I weren't your friend, I wouldn't be here to deal with this. She's been watching you for days now. We can't be the only ones to notice."

"Iruka-sensei was laughing with Toru last night," Sasuke says, "Do you think he was telling Toru?"

Naruto pulls a face. "Iruka-sensei wouldn't do that! He's the nicest person I know, aside from Toru of course."

"I don't know," Sasuke says slowly, "He could have a hidden trickster streak. I mean, you're like sunshine _all the time_ – it's horrible, really, you're always happy – and yet you make some of the best pranks."

"Awww," Naruto says with a stupidly big smile crossing his face as he looks at Sasuke, "you actually like me." Sasuke looks away with a grunt and Naruto laughs. "I knew you were a big softie. You live with Toru. It rubs off. Anyway, what d'ya want to do about your stalker?"

"Confront them," Sasuke says, "I'm getting annoyed at all this. We haven't been able to train properly _for ages_."

"Well, you'll get your chance soon then!" Naruto says happily, "She's coming over here!"

Indeed, the subject of their conversation – a pink-haired civilian girl – is approaching them, with a determined expression on her face. A mantra circles in her head telling her not to back down, and Sakura powers forward, posture straight and shoulders back and reminds herself that she is a _kunoichi-in-training and not a civilian brat!_ She reaches Sasuke and Naruto, who – sitting on the grass – stare up at her. A blush crosses Sakura's expression and she opens and shuts her mouth, unable to speak.

Sasuke's expression flattens further and Naruto smiles at her. "I- I- I want to as- ask you, Sasuke-san if- if you'll…" Her blush deepens and she stutters to a stop, smacking small hands to her red cheeks.

"She has a crush on you!" Naruto crows in realisation. "That's so funny! A crush! On Sasuke!" He lets out a peal of laughter.

"I do not!" Sakura says aghast, face turning red and stamping her foot. She turns to Sasuke. "Sasuke-san! Please spar with me – but without weapons. If I win you have to help me refine my throwing technique and if you win… if you win I'll leave you alone!"

Sasuke judges the girl, ignoring Naruto's spluttering and repeated mention of the word 'crush'. He'll win easily – she's civilian, female, and _pink_. "I'll give myself a handicap so we both have an equal chance," he decides. "I'll spar with one hand behind my back."

Sakura narrows her eyes and reminds Naruto of an angry cat, puffing up in preparation to hiss and strike. "Guys," Naruto says, trying to get them to calm down and keep himself from laughing, "we aren't meant to spar without adult supervision."

"You're going down," Sakura snarls. "First one held for five seconds or yield loses," she says. "Naruto-san, call it."

Naruto looks at both of them, sighs, and takes a few steps back. "Toru is going to kill us," he moans lightly, but an excited expression crosses his face. "On three – one, two, and–! And, well, three I guess."

Sasuke, who shot forward on two, lashes out with a punch at Sakura, who drops to avoid it. "He said on three!" She says loudly, before kicking out at Sasuke who steps back.

"Ninjas aren't honourable," Sasuke says arrogantly. Sakura makes some sound that's crossed between a scream of outrage and a snarl, and rolls off the ground.

"I'm glad you decided that for us," she says, and Naruto feels a shiver go down his spine. The pink-haired girl steps forward, neatly deflects Sasuke's punch and follow-up kick, and then swings her leg up and kicks Sasuke in the crotch. The boy goes down with a moan, and Sakura stands confidently above him. Naruto winces, but doesn't dare say anything because of the expression on Sakura's face. "This is why people have rules in spars," Sakura says, as if lecturing.

Sasuke finally sits up and growls at the girl. "Normal people don't kick others in the bloody groin!" He says, barely censoring himself.

"Ninjas aren't normal people," Sakura returns pointedly. "Now, I won fair and square, unless you want a retry?"

"We'll have a proper spar this time," Sasuke responds, narrowing his eyes.

"Actually, on second thoughts, no, let's not," Sakura says. "You don't get second tries in life."

"I hate you," Sasuke says angrily, pushing himself off the ground, "and you as well," he adds looking at Naruto who looks like he's about to hurt himself from trying not to laugh.

"You brought this on yourself," Naruto says, finally letting go and howling with laughter. "This is what you get for hiding my ramen!"

"I'm helping you have a healthy diet," Sasuke retorts, face still looking pinched and slightly pale. "I'm not going to help you," he spits at Sakura. "After all, ninjas aren't honourable."

"We aren't ninjas yet, Sasuke," Naruto points out, an expression crossing his face and Sasuke knows he's going to do whatever Naruto says because Naruto is even more stubborn than Sasuke. "Besides, you _promised_."

"I did not!" Sasuke responds angrily.

"It was implied," Sakura says smugly.

 _(See, the thing is, Sakura doesn't really have a crush on Sasuke. No, she mainly has a crush on Sasuke's skills, which – to her – are much more important because Sakura may ace any paper tests that put in front of her as studying is her top skill, but she is born to civilian parents and she's not improving her weapon skills at the rate she wants to. Therefore, she came up with the plan to get the Uchiha's help because he is the same age as her and he does really well with his weapons – she's heard things about him and his skills.)_

Sasuke takes a glance at Naruto's face, stubbornly set, and Sakura's face, which is set in a way that looks like she's preparing herself for a negative answer. "Fine," Sasuke says with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "Fine. I'll help you today and that's it. Okay?"

Sakura nods. "Thank you," she replies, sounding stiff, and Sasuke scowls back.

"Well, don't just stand there," Sasuke says, "throw something. There are targets there," he says, signalling to the trees with bright red targets painted on them. Sakura picks up one of her kunai and grips it in her hand before throwing it, flicking her wrist so that it spins just like they are taught. It lands shorts, blade digging into the ground a few metres from the trees. "Don't flick it so hard," Sasuke says. "Do it again." Sakura nods and turns to her task, just as Sasuke and Naruto start whispering. Sakura firmly tries to ignore them as she throws another kunai. "Same problem," Sasuke says when it lands, before continuing his conversation with Naruto.

Sakura swallows and tries again, putting all her effort into the flick, and the weapon hits the tree – too high, though. She turns to Sasuke to see what he thinks when he doesn't speak straight away, and is just in time to hear Naruto complain that, "I don't know what to do in a scenario when you're trapped in a cave and your teammate just lost their arm. How am I meant to know what to do when I'm an Academy student?"

Sakura, pink-haired and often clad in pink, with her baby-face, calmly looks at Naruto and says in an even tone, "Burn their arm to stop the bleeding, which should help ensure that he doesn't die before you get medical help."

 _(Sakura may be weak physically, but she reads – she reads and reads and works to keep up with those her age who are clan kids, because she refuses to fall behind. She refuses.)_

Sasuke adopts a bewildered expression as he looks at the pink girl. "Aren't you a civilian born?" He asks, confusion clear in his tone.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Kunoichi in training," she responds. "Although, I suppose you could just blow up the entrance and escape. After all, if you have enough explosion tags you can do just about anything," she adds in a thoughtful tone.

Naruto erupts into cackles. "Sasuke, you've been replaced!" He says jokingly, "He's always like 'use explosion tags carefully, Naruto' and Toru is always like 'think about using explosion tags as a last plan, always' but you – you're like 'just use them, because why not?' It's great!"

Sakura laughs like it's been startled out of her. She shrugs. "Explosion tags mean that you call the enemy to your position and sometimes it doesn't work properly. However, you can use them in any plan if you think about it for long enough."

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "No," he tells Naruto who has a thoughtful expression on his face. "No, you are not using them for pranks," he adds before turning to Sakura, "Alright, you need to relax your wrist a bit. This is what you need to do…"

 _(Somehow, among laughter and hypothetical situations with explosion tags, between learning how to throw kunai and deal with Sasuke's scowls, alongside a bubble of sunshine and a crackle of light, Sakura gains two new friends. Ino is her first friend, but Ino is one person who already has loads of friends – she can't just stick with Sakura. Sakura understands this. Thus, when she's invited to lunch by Naruto, she goes almost instantly, grinning at Ino, before leaving.)_

 _(And then Ino comes anyway because she fears how Sasuke and Naruto – "No one really knows them Chōji; what if they can't be trusted? Sakura's a civilian born!" – will treat Sakura, and Chōji refuses to let Ino go alone – "Because what if the Uchiha hurts you, Ino! You know what happened to the other one!" – and Shikamaru comes too, lazy and complaining, but eyes-sharp and waiting, watching, and sharp tongue ready to strike if necessary. In the end, nothing happens but where two, then three, had been clumped, there are now six.)_

* * *

 **Toru in the hospital stands steady beneath the weight of a lie, but the question exists – is he loyal to Konoha? Nonetheless, the Uchiha Clan Compound continues gathering popularity and rumours arise regarding its good reputation and trustworthy owner. However, not everything is good and when a child goes missing, Toru – with loyal Haruto at his side – tries to save the day, and it works. Meanwhile, Sakura with her crush on Sasuke's skills, finally manages to confront the boy and ask her to help him – it goes slightly sideways, but it works in the end. In the meantime, Naruto gets a lot of laughs to make his day.**

* * *

 _ **Let's change things up - let me talk about the ending and make my way up.**_

 _ **So, firstly, Sakura? She's not going to win against Sasuke at all on fair ground. Thankfully, she is smart enough to go 'fuck you' and use every means necessary to win. She wants to succeed at life, and damn it all, she will - just watch her. I just love the idea of Sakura, pretty in pink and baby-faced, marching up and everything thinking /crush/ and she's thinking /I want those skills, holy shit/ and then demanding Sasuke to spar with her and her gunning for the win. Honestly? Probably not the best decision to make, because she could ask for help - but she's learnt that kunoichi get their work done by themselves and with her teammates. She has no teammates and so she thinks it's all on her. The new style of the Academy partially suits Sakura - like the studying she aces, but it's hard to keep up with clan kids who have years of physical training on her. So she does her best, and I'm ignoring how her parents are ninjas or were ninjas, and pretending that they're civilians. You got this - Sakura kicking ass and not in a smart way but trying and she's /12/. Naruto finds the whole thing hilarious and he doesn't really know social cues too well. Sasuke's emotional development is probably still not the best, and he's pretty pissed at the whole thing but Sakura manages to get on Naruto's good side and Sasuke likes Naruto, so therefore Sakura is accepted. She works to earn his trust and acceptance, Sasuke also appreciates Ino's desire to protect Sakura - he would do the same thing for Naruto (and Toru).**_

 _ **And then you have the why-is-this-2600-words of lost children and me trying my best to show off the clan compound without being obvious about it. Did I manage the show not tell? I think I told. That's okay. I'm trying. Trying is step one to practise. Tsuyoshi is a bit of an odd duck - he's a bit jealous of Toru with his power and money and because he's a shinobi, but he loves his family and wants to do the best for them. Anyway, you get a bit more world building stuff there - and me thinking up possibilities on the spot because there would be a power gap where the Uchiha police had been.**_

 _ **Toru being at the hospital - crazy, right? Well, no, he's pretty injured. Also, there would be tons of others injured and the medics would have their focus on the critically injured and all that.**_

 _ **I expected ANBU in this chapter. I was mistaken. I did get a plot for the ANBU, though! Pretty neat.**_


	5. Encrypt

Toru muffles a yawn as he flicks to the next part of the book. It's one out of Konoha's main library, rather than taken from the Uchiha Clan library – Toru couldn't find a book like the one he has in front of him. Titled _Chakra Specifics: Lightning_ , it started off with the basics regarding chakra – what it was, how it's controlled, affinities and their influence, before moving onto what, Toru guesses, is meant to be a clear-cut, concise explanation regarding lightning chakra and its inner workings.

It definitely could've been a good read, if Toru wasn't aware of how the world worked. The author, probably some dumb chūnin from Kirigakure _(because no one can use lightning chakra right in Kiri; after all, it's all water and mist and fog and no one wants to kill their own people via lightning chakra all because of a little water)_ , contends that lightning is generated by increasing the high frequency vibrations of one's chakra. It almost makes sense, because if one gets strong enough vibrations and friction one can cause static – and then one is going to get static electricity, which is tiny, tiny sparks of lightning. The problem that Toru sees is that the author is implying that all of this happens in the body, and the only response Toru has for that is _ouch_. Unless your own chakra is incapable of hurting you – which isn't true because Toru has burned himself and hurt himself due to his own jutsus _so often_ – you wouldn't be creating any kind of lightning, static electricity or not, tiny or not, in your own body.

Basically, the book is wrong and Toru has no idea why anyone hasn't burnt it yet. So many people are going to be believing the wrong thing about chakra. _Honestly, doesn't anyone have a shred of intelligence to waste outside of missions?_ Toru feels like the only one half the time.

Toru doesn't know much about lightning – he knows the basics of it from his previous life, but he hasn't practised a lightning in this life. He knows it hurts like kami when it's used against you in a fight or for torture. That doesn't really help him, at all.

It does, though, bring up an interesting thought. If lightning chakra can go through a person's body – can harm it, is it possible to attack someone else with another type of chakra? Like fire, the damage Toru could do if he could inject – he supposes – fire chakra into someone else.

Anyway, a thought for later, because Toru wants to think about chakra and chakra affinities first and foremost. He knows, has figured out, wind chakra and fire chakra; he knows how it works, how its controlled, but there are three other types of chakra that Toru has access to him and he doesn't know how they work.

He might as well start – probably not with lightning because he doesn't know much about it – with wind; his own affinity and something he has worked with for years, for one life. Although, realistically, Toru doubts the affinity matters at all.

An affinity, in the end, means that a person is going to be more capable with one – or two – types of chakra than the others. It doesn't really influence a person's chakra, not by itself at least. It probably changes the feel and taste of the chakra, especially after it has been converted for a specific element, but the chakra in your body is plain, is _tasteless_. It is without an element – it just is.

Chakra is, after all, simply energy. Toru knows that it's made up of two different types – physical and spiritual. Physical energy is, apparently, collected from every cell in the body and can be increased via training, stimulants, and exercise. Spiritual energy, on the other hand, is collected from the mind's conscious _(and Toru has no idea how that works – what counts as conscious? It must work when you're unconscious as well, so would it be better to say subconscious? What does it mean when a person says 'conscious'?)_ and increased through studying, mediation, and experience.

The control and manipulation of chakra can occur through various methods, with the most common being hand seals. However, ultimately chakra is controlled through a person's will and their concentration. With good chakra control, a person can channel their chakra to do certain things that would otherwise be impossible.

Thankfully, wanting to know more about water chakra and living in Konoha means that you can access books written by Tobirama Senju, Nidaime, _water ninjutsu specialist._ There are legends, legends that Toru knows are twisted truths and lies creating a genjutsu over the truth. Still, every legend – Toru assumes – has a bit of truth, and the legends all agree that Tobirama was _amazing_ at water ninjutsu. Forget the Kami of the Shinobi and his wood release, there is a genius who tried his best to understand water chakra. Toru knows only from his own experience, and even then, he split his attention between water and wind chakras.

After returning the terrible book, which Toru really should've just burnt and paid the fine except he knows that he can't have the black mark against his record, Toru borrows a few ninjutsu scrolls and a few books written by Tobirama Senju. The genin at the counter smiles at him, asks him about his training and if he's learning water ninjutsu, Toru lies back with a smile and says yes because he needs to pretend his skills come from somewhere in this life.

Tobirama, at the end of his first book _Water Chakra I_ , that water is a transparent, colourless liquid. Like everything else in the world, it is made up of particles. Tobirama explicitly states that he theorises – and stresses the word heavily, Toru notices – that each water particle consist of a three parts, with two parts being the same – Tobirama didn't have a word for it, and so named it chemic rather than constantly calling it material or stuff – chemic, and one part being a different chemic.

Toru almost doesn't catch it, but there's an undertone that's there and gone – a thought, quiet and mused, but dismissed as the author keeps writing. Toru wouldn't have caught it if he didn't know wind chakra as well as he did and if Toru isn't as smart as he is. Toru catches it, holds it, and thinks that the opportunities are endless. The idea that water contains air and that wind chakra can take the air out of the water and stop it from existing – it's an interesting idea, and if Toru extends that to his theory regarding fire…

With a shake of his head, and a reminder that he's meant to be learning about water chakra, Toru turns his attention to the next book, and quickly takes on the information. Ultimately, Toru doesn't need to figure out how water chakra works, because Tobirama explains it all. He doesn't give a straight forward explanation, going into deeper concepts that Toru only gets by having a dictionary next to him as he reads and easy access to the Uchiha library.

Water chakra can be created outside of the body or expelled through one's mouth or it can manipulate already existing water. Water chakra can change the density of the water or change the state of the water.

Despite writing something like a series on the topic, Tobirama probably could've made a much shorter book on the basics. However, the man had been a genius, and his books showcase it. Still, Toru grasps most of the concepts, and breaks everything down to the basics and to something he can easily understand.

At its simplest, water chakra simply links water particles together and then that chakra is controlled so that the water can be manipulated. Water created outside the body, it turned out, is simply pulling water from the atmosphere. Meanwhile, water expelled from the body is more chakra intensive as the water is created by converting your chakra into water particles, which takes a lot of chakra.

Influencing the density through chakra is an easy concept to grasp once you get around the whole idea of particles creating water. To change the density, your chakra forces the particles closer together or further away without letting the water change state. Water, Toru learns, has three states – solid, which is known as ice; liquid, known as water; and gas, known as steam – and the state changes by the chakra causing the particles to move faster. The effect of the increased speed is that energy is created and the bonds – what keeps the particles together and in a specific state – breaks, allowing the substance to change state.

Toru leans back in his chair, rolling his shoulder and testing the recovered muscles. He got his stiches out a few days ago, but having pulled the stitches earlier, Toru's going to end with a scar on his shoulder. It doesn't matter to Toru too much – he already has scars, what's one more?

He allows himself now to think about what he's learnt, what he needs to research and figure out. He knows now how water chakra works, but more importantly, he's learnt that there may be a chance that wind chakra can destroy water by ripping water particles apart, which leads to the conclusion that fire can be put out by removing the air inside of it. Furthermore, if lightning chakra can enter someone else's body, then other types of chakra could do the same. For instance, Toru could push fire chakra into someone else, then he could raise their body temperature – make it hot enough to cause death, and no one would think _ninja_ because the cause of death would seem like due to natural causes _(nothing could ever be put down to natural causes, not in a world of ninja)_.

With thoughts of new possibilities, Toru gets up and changes into his training gear, because he can finally train _properly_ with actually exercising his body, rather than doing some things slowly and other things not at all, and really only focussing on his chakra control. Dangerous and thoughtful, Toru heads to the training ground to practise, _(and no matter what anyone says, it isn't because he's gone through another near-death experience recently)._

* * *

Toru, on a mission and clad in his civvies – civilian clothing, pauses and takes a step back, peering into the window of the small café. Despite being small, the café in question is doing a roaring trade and Toru's surveillance has revealed that the café is one of the most popular in the small town.

Toru enters the café, the bell chiming cheerfully above him as he enters the warm place. Toru drops his shoulders, letting the warmth seep into his chilled body. "Sorry sir, I don't think we've met, who are you?" A waitress says, stopping in front of him.

Toru smiles at her, bright and happy, with contacted blue eyes and weak blonde hair – dyed, of course – and says, "Hello," with a smile in a cheerful tone. "I'm Daisuke Kawa, and I'm just passing through. I'm part of a merchant train, the leader is my father, and we were thinking about having a new path because, like all merchants, we want to spread our wares, as you do. _Anyway,_ I offered to go through the towns of the new route, because one time we changed our route, we added this town out west, only to find out – when we got there – that someone sold the same wares as us! It was unfortunate, really, but he'd been there for something like four years, I think?" Toru pauses, expression crinkling, before taking a big breath and continuing, "It was something like four years. That's not really my point, but the people knew him and he had pretty good prices, so we couldn't – not that we wanted to! – usurp his position. However, we figured it'd be best to check first this time."

"Well, it's good to meet you Kawa-san," the waitress says, smiling at the charming, young boy in front of her. "Did you come here alone? Surely, you must have come with someone."

Toru shakes his head quickly, blonde hair flying with the motion. "Nope! I'm going to prove I'm an adult. I've done this a few times with my older brother, but – I'm sure you get it – older siblings are a _pain_ , so we separated this time around. Definitely means I won't have to put up with him kicking me off the bed. I mean, yeah, I get it. He's the oldest and all that and we have little money for inns, but you'd think we could share the bed." Toru lets out a sharp breath, before shaking his head and dropping his eyes to the floor. "You didn't need to know all that, sorry," he mumbles.

The waitress lets out a soft chuckle. "Sometimes we all need to rant, Kawa-san," she says. "Did you want something to eat or drink? There's a spare table over in the back."

Toru perks up, back straightening and eyes meeting the waitress'. "Oh, no! I actually saw someone I knew when I was younger, and – well – I haven't seen them in _years._ They probably don't recognise me, but we had some great adventures together, and I thought I might come in and say hello, if… if that's alright?"

"Go right ahead, Kawa-san!" The waitress says, "Good on you for having the courage to come talk to your old friend."

Toru laughs, "Thanks!" He says before heading towards the corner, where a twenty-year-old sat, food only half-eaten on his plate. Toru plops down on the seat opposite the man, letting his body spread out and grace be substituted for a boy barely in control of his own limbs.

"Jun'ichi-san, right?" Toru says, before continuing to speak regardless of his companion's response. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Daisuke Kawa. We used to hang out when we were younger, back before my family started the merchant train. Do you remember? My family owned that dog… Hideo!" Toru says, clicking his fingers, "That's what the old dog's name was. You always said he looked like a sheep, but I always refused, too stubborn and proud I reckon, to agree that he looked like a sheep. He did, though! He really did." Toru falls into a thoughtful silence, finally losing the energetic appearance as he appears to think back on the past.

This is first mission after the battle with ROOT. It's a solo mission, and it's meant to go for a month. He doesn't really know what he's meant to do, but apparently a civilian in a small café in a tiny town somewhere in Hi no Kuni had his orders. There are actual locations that Toru had been given, but Toru got to where he needs to be so he doesn't bother to recall the actual location.

He had been told that he couldn't appear like a ninja and that the client is a worried civilian. Therefore, Toru spent one day on the roof of the café as a beetle, chakra-enhanced ears listening to the café, and spent another day as a spider on the roof inside the café, learning everything he could.

"You always told me that analogy was right," Toru muses aloud, waiting for his contact to speak.

The client barks out a laugh, loud and suspicious and like a civilian trying to hide, "Analogy was right; of course I was right! Business is going alright for you, I hope?"

Toru nods, "Yeah, we're getting a great reputation and people sometimes know our names when we go to towns we've been to before."

"Respect that you've earned would be the reason behind that," the civilian says with a nod. "Crafters you guys were, right? You and I always seemed to be getting parents from your parents that were handmade – your jumper is right?"

Toru nods, shifting his gaze down to look at the woollen jumper he's wearing. It's only just cold enough for him to need it, and it's rather warm. He likes the pattern of it too, dark night blue with trees growing from the bottom and upwards, marked out in dark green. It's not really he is – or it is, kind of – as it previously belonged to someone else in the Uchiha Clan, and it definitely was made by the Uchiha Clan, as if Toru turns it inside out it has the clan symbol on it. It works well with Toru trying to appear civilian though, along with his overly large top – made to make him appear small and make others underestimate him – and loose pants.

"Yeah, my grandmother made it a few years ago before she passed. I've almost outgrown it, but I'll pass it down the family. All our clothes tend to. You know what they say," Toru says, adding a sad grin to his face, "don't make something new until everything's been reused."

"That's sad," the client says with a falsified grief stricken expression, "your grandmother was a great woman. My family loved her cooking, _I_ loved her cooking."

"She was pretty amazing," Toru agrees. "But I've grown past that now, it was a long time ago. She died from sickness, not much we could do while we were on the move and without a doctor."

"Issue right there," the client says, "you guys should always keep a doctor moving with you. Sincerely, I hope you keep one with you or leave your older folk behind with this current cold weather."

Toru shrugs, "Grandfather's problem, not mine," he responds. "Besides, you meet grandmother, you know how hard she was to get to sit down. Everyone's like that, _everyone_ , they're more energetic than the young ones at time."

"On all fours or the ones on two?" The client asks, before shaking his head. "Hey, let me scribble some stuff down for you, okay? That way you can find me when you come back, I'm guessing you'll need to leave soon."

Toru nods, "I should've been on the road a few hours ago, but I got side tracked. Can't say it wasn't a bad thing in hindsight."

"I'll be speaking to your superiors about that," the client responds, handing Toru a scroll.

Toru rolls his eyes, but notes the slip up – this is definitely a civilian he's dealing with, "Don't call my parents that," he complains. "It makes me feel like I'll be in _real_ trouble rather than just be forced to babysit the children. Anyway, you're right – just like that time with the dog who looked like a sheep – and I should be off. I'll catch you some other time. Bye Jun'ichi-san!"

"Bye Daisuke-san," the civilian says sounding amused as Toru leaves, grinning once more at the waitress, before stepping out into the chilly morning. Toru hurries forward, head down and following the road out of town.

Once out of time and out of sight, Toru leaves the road and takes to the trees, before finding a clearing and stripping to change into his ninja gear – pulling a dark grey short-sleeve top over his mesh armour, and pulling on the dark grey pants. He quickly wraps the pants from below the knee to his ankle, ensuring they don't flap about and make it hard to move. He wraps bandages around his seals on his arms, despite the fact, his sleeves almost completely cover his bicep. Lastly, he pulls on the fingerless gloves that aid in hiding his seals from the world.

Toru sighs, feeling more like himself than when he had been dressed up like a civilian. He stretches and reads the scroll that contains all the mission information. It's pretty brief and straightforward. Toru just needs to go into one building – being wary of traps because there's a reason it's a mission – and steal a scroll. Toru recalls the strange conversation he had with the civilian – it'd been pretty weird. The general pattern of speaking had been off, unnatural, and abnormal for a simple civilian, even if they can afford a C-ranked mission.

Toru thinks back on what the civilian had said – what if there had been a code? Toru unseals his notepad and pen, rarely going on a mission without them because sometimes _waiting gets boring_ and _you need something to do_. It is advice he's always found helpful, and it pays off in situations when Toru needs to write something down.

He scrawls down the first word – _analogy, business, respect, crafters, you (and I), that's, my, issue, sincerely, on_. The first words honestly make no sense – even when Toru changes the singular word you to you and I. However, writing those three words gives him an idea, and Toru changes each word to the first letter – _a, b, r, c, y, t, m, i, s, o._ It still makes no sense, and there isn't even an acronym or word that the letters form. Toru frowns.

 _Oh,_ he realises, even as he scribbles something else down. He's not thinking hard enough, thinking too easy, thinking civilian-level. He's a shinobi; it's going to be harder than first word or first letter. He can take the first two letters, see if that changes anything.

Words half-appear, and Toru is pretty sure he's seeing something, because what does _an, bu, re, cr, yo, th, my, is, si, on_ spell? However, Toru sees almost-words. It's almost as if the code didn't work out properly and the person made it up on the fly, which is – _ninja_ , right. Tests hidden as missions and gone for a month that isn't needed for a simple infiltration and grab – masking one thing as something else. It sounds familiar. It is familiar to Toru, just in another life.

So, thinking first then. Say he's on the right path, say the first two letters work but also don't – what could be wrong? What instantly gets Toru is the _yo_ , because it doesn't fit with most words and the original word had been _you_ – you like the letter. You and I for that fact!

Toru grins fiercely and scratches out _yo_ to write _ui_ instead. It gives him two words and one not-word, but Toru seems to be on the right path. Honestly, then it's just a guess and a hope that has Toru crossing out _y_ and _h_ from the _my_ and _th_. It leaves him with three words, three words that create a tingle of excitement in Toru's body because there's Team 5 and then Toru's _ANBU Team_ , and Toru has missed a family-like team. He hasn't missed many of the ANBU missions because you kill and you kill and it's nothing more than murder or massacre that you get paid for. Except, Toru lives for danger. He is darkness and blood-dripping, but he's the shadow that protects. It's only right he finds himself back to the place he thrives.

 _ANBU recruit mission, huh?_ Toru thinks quietly to himself. He looks at the scroll holding the information regarding his mission and thinks _there should be something more_. It takes a few seconds of focussing, and some great chakra control _(and Toru is getting better at this, he's getting better – he's going to be even better than he ever was; he's not going to die, not before Uzushio lives once more)_ , he creates a flicker of fire on a finger and carefully brings the scroll up above the fire.

It took some time, but eventually a message at the bottom of the scroll appeared, telling Toru to open the scroll once he had stolen it; Toru burns his mission scroll after committing it all to memory. All in all, Toru decides pretty quickly that this isn't a normal mission, but he had thought that from the moment he had met the civilian who may not be a civilian.

Toru decides to move toward the target building, and then once close he'll take a brief rest before gathering intelligence and then infiltrating to steal the scroll that probably has another task for him.

With a grin, Toru darts forward, reaching his maximum speeds quickly. His heart pounds in excitement – he could return to ANBU!

* * *

Toru digs his fingers into the dirt, and extends a tiny strand of chakra down through the soil. He lets the chakra expand into a net and stretch outwards toward the building nearby. Toru frowns as his chakra leeches from him, sucked into the ground in one of the most chakra-intensive and unrefined jutsus that Toru knows. To be fair, though, Toru's only been playing around with the idea for about a week.

It originated with the idea of pushing chakra into someone else, but Toru isn't dumb enough to start there. He's worked on what his chakra can be shoved into and then controlled. The most useful thing Toru's discovered is what he's currently doing – that he can create a network of chakra beneath the ground and it can search for a blockage, normally part of a building or an underground bunker or cave. It takes too much chakra to use for anything else, but it is still in its early stages.

Toru grimaces as he lets his tenuous hold over the chakra fade, settling his weight onto his heels and relaxing as much as he can afford to on a mission. He has a choice here. He can rest and recover the one-sixth of his chakra that he lost, or he can start his mission and find the scroll.

On an emotional level, Toru wants to work through this mission quickly and avoid showing off all of his skills, wanting to keep at least one kunai hidden up his sleeve – possibly more if he can manage it. On a more realistic level, Toru's mind urges him to be cautious and wait until he's regained all his chakra before infiltrating the building.

Disregarding his emotions and his urge for caution, Toru takes into the account that this entire mission is a façade for a test, an ANBU standard one. Toru's already passed one section regarding the code and infiltration to retrieve the information. The next section to pass will be making his way through the traps without being caught or injured. Based on that knowledge, it's highly probably that someone will be watching him as he makes his way through the building. Therefore, Toru should probably keep his best skill hidden.

Still, anyone can gather the information that Toru's good at stealth, and Toru can't afford to disappoint here. It's a simple manner to use the henge to camouflage himself, but he doesn't change his shape which is far too chakra intensive to do when Toru may need the chakra ahead of time. Therefore, with a fair bit of concentration and chakra control, Toru transforms his appearance with one hand seal and no words. Toru takes another second to concentrate, forcing his chakra to shrink down and become a small bump somewhere in his chest, before he heads forward.

His gravity seals are off, which Toru has learnt to do for every mission over the time with his usually interrupted missions – where the problems that arose _had not_ been due to being unlucky. Toru moves slowly, because there is nothing more obvious as a dark blur racing across the flat ground. He sticks to the shadows, taking a longer path that trails along the trees before slinking into the high-rising bushes. He finally reaches the outer edge of the building, brick and grey, rising above him for a total of three stories.

Toru's chakra network below the ground had indicated that there is no basement, unless it's much deeper than Toru thought, which is a possibility. Toru scowls and tries to figure out the best way to enter the building. There's one door and the Uchiha refuses to enter through the door as he doesn't want anyone to know when he's in the building. There are no windows that Toru has noticed, unless they're being hidden by a genjutsu, which is highly unlikely.

A cloud covers the moon, turning the land even more shadowy than it had already been. Toru takes advantage of the moment, channelling the tiniest bit of chakra to his hands, knees, and feet and starting to crawl up the building like a giant four-legged spider.

There are probably easier ways of getting into the building – through the door, certainly, and forcing his way through a wall, both of which would notify someone that the building had been invaded by an outside force. The only other possible plan Toru could think of is using an earth ninjutsu to move beneath the building and then force his way up into the building. Toru had been quick to dismiss that plan, as his limited ability with earth ninjutsu would mean his entrance point would be quickly discovered. Plus, Toru's sensory ability isn't that great, and he doesn't want to kill anyone.

He's meant to be here to grab a scroll, _without anyone noting._ He's not about to storm the place and take down every enemy he finds in his path. Furthermore, he wants to get in and out without anyone noticing until ages later. After all, if the owners of the building are unaware of the test taking place, they might send a force – or another ninja – out after him once the theft is discovered. On second thoughts, that might be another part of the test – dealing with an enemy or numerous enemies chasing after you.

Toru will probably learn of the next part of his task once he opens the scroll. First things first though, he needs to steal it.

The roof – flat instead of the traditional triangle-like shape – is covered with tin, like the kind most cheap and quickly build buildings have. Toru takes about fifteen minutes to remove the screws and lift up one of the sheets of tin, before slipping beneath it. He finds himself surrounded insulation and frames that make up the ceiling.

Clearly, the thirteen-year-old concludes, the building is made for people to work in, possibly stay overnight in. Toru drops from the roof, twisting to land crouched on a patch of insulation. A loud cloud of dust rises, despite his soft landing, and Toru holds his breath, nose twitching, and desperately trying not to sneeze.

After a few seconds, the dust all settles and Toru pulls his hitai-ate down from his forehead and pulls it around so that the fabric rests over his mouth. He checks his ability to breathe through the hastily made mask, before moving forward. Consciously avoiding breathing through his nose is a bit of a challenge, but Toru manages to keep breathing through his mask, which means he doesn't have to deal with the dust as he crawls through the insulation, trying to find the exit point that leads to the actual inside of the building. Most buildings tend to have a trapdoor leading to the inside of the roof so that civilian repairmen can fix areas when necessary.

Toru smiles to himself as he finally comes across the door. He runs his kunai through the gap between the wooden panels and the trapdoor. It goes through easily, revealing that there are no levers that Toru needs to worry about. The Uchiha pushes the door down, carefully holding the ladder so that it doesn't fall. Toru pauses as hinges creak, before sliding through the opening he's created, and then closing the trapdoor.

He tilts his head backwards, surveying the floor below him, before dropping onto it and landing in a crouch. Toru knows he's going to need to search every room before moving down to the next floor – annoying, but it can't be helped.

The first room Toru enters has ninja wire stretched in the doorway, and Toru carefully steps over it, aware that there may be another trap. Nothing happens, thankfully, and Toru lets his eyes wander over the room, taking in its bland appearance. There are a few pieces of furniture – a table, chairs around the table, a few picture frames on the wall – but aside from that, it contains nothing Toru wants. A thin layer of dust covers the entire room, and the furniture has white sheets draped over it. The chūnin doubts what he wants is in this room.

Working through each room takes as long as Toru expects it too, and even longer when he factors in evading the traps. He sees more tripwire, some made from ninja wire and some not. At one point, he almost steps on a pressure plate, but sees the slight change in the colouring of the wood and avoids it. The most obvious trap he sees is kunai launchers. He gets caught in a few traps, but with some tricky manoeuvring, manages to avoid being injured. The hardest trap by far had been the trap with the darts, where the entire floor of the room – carpeted – had acted like a pressure plate, causing darts to be shot out of the wall.

Toru finds the scroll needed on the second level in the third room he searches, and with the scroll sealed in his shoulder, he quickly takes his leave.

* * *

After an hour of resting, Toru feels his chakra levels are almost full again, and he's ready to open the scroll. The clearing Toru had found is a few kilometres from the building and across a river, which should through off pursuers as Toru had run a kilometre down the river before continuing on his journey. The small clearing, only three meters in diameter at its largest point, is heavily trapped as Toru opens the scroll.

Toru's dark eyes take in the seals covering the scroll, even as the seal flares with chakra and Toru mentally swears in his head. Chakra swarms the ninja, swallowing him, and transporting him elsewhere.

A singular ninja, up in the top of one of the trees near the clearing, leaps down and analyses the traps. The masked ninja nods, before heading off. They have other recruits to check on.

* * *

 **New creations come to mind as Toru explores more chakra theory with the intent to understand his own chakra. Meanwhile, planning finally takes action in Konoha, and Toru's mission is part of the plan. He figures it out pretty quickly – ANBU recruitment mission and all that. The only thing left to do is find out whether he will pass the ANBU trials, fail and drop out, or fail and die.**

* * *

 _ **S** **o, chakra theory... Yeah, I may have got them all down now. I've been taking most of my knowledge from the Naruto wikia, and then I've been deciding whether it makes sense or not. Like the wikia says the high frequency thing about lightning chakra, and I'm not a person who knows lightning or anything, but google taught me that lightning forms as static is created from the movement of hot air and cold air in a cloud. The charge formed then separates into two parts - positive and negative, with each part repelling each other. Once the part at the bottom of the cloud gets strong enough, lightning is discharged and either occurs within the cloud or escapes the cloud. It's a lot more technical than that, with all the electrons and everything, but that's a simple version. So, I looked at this high-frequency thing and just - it doesn't really make sense? It implies that everyone's chakra is moving at a high frequency, and I didn't quite think it worked like that. Anyway, I didn't actually end up talking lightning chakra here - we moved onto water instead because Toru is going to work with what he knows first, and lightning is dangerous. Also, he isn't terribly fond of it.**_

 _ **A mission! Nice! Easy! C-ranked! Toru should be thankful for it - except, it's not easy and it isn't nice and it isn't really a C-rank mission. The bloody code was so hard to write. Like, I thought about first letter but then it didn't really work because there would be so many sentences. Then, I figured that I could have first two letters of each sentence because that's pretty damn hard to figure out. Except, there was no good word beginning with ui, and so I ended up with 'you and I' and then there's no word that starts with tm, so I ended up separating the letters. Anyway, we got through it, I had an epic brain fart to do it. The reason for the awkward sentence structure for the 'civilian' is because I don't know how to sentence with the chosen words.**_

 _ **Anyway, ANBU - I've shown it as nice and epic and good fun. Except, ANBU is not. ANBU missions are hard and test a ninja's resolve and these are the missions others can't manage to take or require a high level of skill. Honestly, I'm going to try to write some pretty terrible missions because that's ANBU. However, the team itself will be good. I'm excited to write Toru's team (but it's going to be so hard to write). I've made up all the other characters for his team, when I was meant to be doing an English essay - which is now done! Hallelujah for that.**_

 _ **This may be one of my first cliff-hangers. Also, yes, this part of the ANBU trial comes from the nice idea in ANBU Legacy (which I've just started reading), and also from the Konoha chunin exams. I've got about 500 words to change from plot points to actual writing for the ANBU exams. Maybe you guys will meet Toru's team captain and their second. I'll introduce my created ANBU program - as in, an actual structure and organisation made based on the ANBU in Naruto, but y'know with information as to how it all works.**_


	6. Quarry

Toru stumbles his landing, takes a staggered step forward, and regains his balance, crouching close to the ground. He turns on the spot, scanning the area with a kunai in each hand, the scroll by his feet – dropped and dismissed as unimportant. He spots no immediate traps or enemies, and allows himself to relax slightly, moving in a small circle again, taking longer to survey the surrounding area, before concluding that his initial opinion – that there is no danger to him right now – is correct.

The dark skinned chūnin puts his kunai away, and picks up the scroll once more. It opens easily, without even a murmur of chakra. With seals at the forefront of his mind, Toru scans the scroll. The seal is a fairly complex one, and while not having the time to analyse all of its components and dissect it to understand how it works, the once Mizushima can tell that the seal is a summoning seal, moving a person from one spot to another spot. Toru looks down and finds lines carved into the ground, still humming faintly with chakra residue.

The thirteen-year-old turns his attention away from the seals, and finds himself reading his orders that are written clearly on the scroll. The information is pretty standard, he's told a location to get to and a time limit. Three days to get to Konoha. Everything he has on him is all that he has for the task.

A scowl crosses his face as he recalls the supplies he had left behind – now trapping an empty bit of land for no reason. Nevertheless, there's nothing Toru can do about it now, and he'll have to make do with what he is.

The moon shines brightly overhead, twisting shadows and warping Toru's perspective. Night time is the best time for a ninja to go undetected, but it is the worst time to be a ninja because it's when attacks are more often to occur – especially on nights when light is minimal. Toru has no real idea where he is and he has three days to get back home. Konoha's probably more than three days away at a run for an average jōnin including rest and everything, but Toru feels the need to test how fast and how far he can run. It's not a push he often feels, but it's there now, tugging at him, daring him to run and run until all he can feel his the ache in his muscles and the steady pounding of his heart.

Before Toru takes off, he needs to figure out where he is and how to get to Konoha. With the aid of chakra, he clambers up a tree, reaching the top of the tree, before looking out over the land in front of him. In a northerly direction, a forest stretches out, spanning out but stopping in places where the darkness blur the details that Toru can see. At a guess, there are probably farms or towns in the places where the forest stops – or maybe a road. To the east, he can make out the rolling waves that make up the ocean. The forest, in the west, turns into cresting hills and tall grasses – more than likely Kawa no Kuni; and the south is forest that drops off suddenly, and Toru thinks he can make out the ocean past it.

The chūnin stops channelling chakra into his eyes, increasing his vision and range, and mentally pulls up a map. He's near the southern-most tip of Hi no Kuni, from what he can see. Konoha lies over five days away at a pace that allows Toru to remain rested and will keep him alert enough to fight. He has three days to make it to Konoha.

Toru rolls his shoulders and takes off, settling into a fast-paced run that he'll alternate with a slower jog every half-an-hour. He can keep up the pace for two days at least, but he'll be pushing it, be pushing himself. In his life though, Toru knows there's no point not pushing yourself. If you want to live, you find your limits and exceed them.

* * *

Eruku stands in the classic rest position before their ANBU Commander. "You will be given a five man team," the Commander says, and Eruku dips her head in a nod. "Your lieutenant has been pulled from retirement to fulfil numbers and are set to retire when they are no longer required. You are to brief them about your team and so forth; they are waiting outside. They know you are their squad leader."

"The others?" Eruku asks, because she's pretty sure that the Commander is implying that the rest of her team will be rookies, aside from the lieutenant.

"You have two members coming from ROOT, so you will need to be wary around them. Your final member will be a rookie from the current ANBU trials. I have a certain member in mind, but there's the chance that they'll fail the trials. It's unlikely, and I certainly hope they don't, I did have to talk to the Hokage about his recruitment. That was an annoying fight," the Commander says, surveying Eruku from behind their mask. "Questions?"

Eruku hesitates, indecision warring, before nodding lightly. "Am I able to access the folders of those on my team?"

"Your last and unknown member, no. The rest you can access like normal," the Commander says. "The recruitment investigation forms are, as always, open. Is that all?" Eruku nods. "Dismissed," the Commander responds, voice ringing with authority. Eruku bows, picks up the file regarding her new team, and leaves the office.

As the ANBU Commander had told Eruku, her lieutenant was waiting outside the office. "Eruku-san," says an ANBU, and Eruku turns to meet the masked ninja. "I am your lieutenant."

"Nice to meet you, Kirin-san," Eruku returns. She flicks open the manila folder, and checks the location of the office for their team. "Welcome to team 42-56." She frowns, rereads the team number, "At least it isn't team forty-two or four, I suppose."

"I doubt the number is about us," the giraffe-masked ANBU member says. "If anything, it'll be regarding the missions we go on."

"Too true," Eruku says, coming to a stop in front of one of the many doors that line the corridor. "This is our one," Eruku says, glancing at her new teammate, before pushing open the door.

The office has the exact same appearance as Eruku's old one – one main desk next to a cabinet, and another similar size desk on the other side of the filing cabinet. Across, against the other wall, there are two desks beside one another, with a doorway on each side. One doorway, Eruku knows, to the locker area, which will contain five metal lockers, the sides lined with seals that ward and secure the lockers – made to contain armour and masks, spare clothes and medical kits, mission kits and anything else that is deemed important. The other doorway, which actually has a door, leads to two showers and a toilet with a small sink. On the wall opposite the door that leads back to the rest of ANBU headquarters, there's another small desk, pushed into the corner to make way for a large couch and a wooden wardrobe that leans against the wall and looks like it'll fall over sometime soon.

"This isn't too bad," Kirin says. "Looks like an unlived in dormitory, but I suppose that's because we're just moving in."

"Indeed," Eruku murmurs, eyes scanning the room once more. Like all team offices within ANBU headquarters, it's meant to serve as a safe place for all team members, mainly for crashing after missions and also to relax and lose tension after a mission.

Eruku heads towards the main desk, knowing it's for the captain, and lets a trickle of her chakra creep into the wood. She feels the wards connect to her and, seconds later, Kirin standing nearby, a bright spark amongst all the other ANBU sparks.

"So, a five member team?" Kirin prompts, and Eruku sighs deeply.

"Yeah," she responds, dropping onto the couch. Kirin stands near the door, not quite awkward but wanting to do her best for the new captain, Eruku guesses. "Shut the door and take a seat. I'll tell you what I know thus far."

Kirin nods and closes the door, taking off the giraffe mask and placing it on her desk, before pulling out one of the desk chairs and sitting opposite Eruku. Eruku gently removes the elk mask, and puts it down next to her. "Hanako Mura," Eruku, Hanako now, says. "Outside of the field you can call me Hanako-san unless we're masked, in which case call me Eruku-san or Taichō or something along those lines. In missions, it would be better if I went by Taichō."

"My name is Tsune Yamanaka," Tsune divulges. "Tsune-san outside of missions and ANBU works, with Kirin-san or Chūi being acceptable on missions or when masked."

"Very well," Hanako responds. "Now, as you've guessed already, our team will be made up of five members. The other three are rookies, hence why you've been called out of retirement. I'm guessing that you know what went down recently and impacted our numbers greatly?" Tsune tilted her head in a nod. "Then you'll know what I mean when I say we have two ROOT members."

"Do you have their names?"

Hanako pulls out two pages from the folder she had been given. They aren't the files for the ninjas in question, but it's information she can hand out to her team. "Souma Abe and Sora Asano," she says. "Souma 'earned' his name approximately two years ago, according to this information. Therefore, it can be assumed that he will respond to it. Sora, on the other hand, was given a name upon the dissolution of ROOT. Neither knew their last names until recently. Both are standard ROOT jōnin members – Souma at fifteen and Sora at nineteen. They are expected to behave as ninjas who listen to orders and don't make their own judgement and have no emotions. Standard ROOT-nin behaviour, from what I've learnt."

Tsune leans back into her chair, letting out a low whistle. "Let me guess, we're expected to take them down if they turn traitor or try to run?"

"Kill orders," Hanako confirms, "no mercy or aid given. If they turn, they get killed without another chance."

Tsune doesn't respond for a moment, grim expression on their face. "What about our third and final member? Doesn't sound like they're ROOT."

"They're going through the current ANBU trials," Hanako responds. "Commander-sama didn't give me a name, which tells me that they can't. Commander-sama made it sound like Sandaime-sama argued against them."

"That implies that Commander-sama had to get permission from Sandaime-sama," Tsune realises aloud. "So, the recruit in question is either a clan member, ninja of interest, or below the age of seventeen."

"I doubt that Sandaime-sama fought because the recruit was a clan member. Commander-sama implied that he had an 'annoying fight' – that's a direct quote by the way – with Sandaime-sama regarding the recruit," Hanako reveals. "I haven't actually paid any attention to the recruits this trial, considering everything that's been going on."

"Luckily for you," Tsune says, "when I learnt I was needed to come out of retirement, I started paying more attention. There are quite a few recruits to watch out for these trials. One who doesn't stand out at all, and also has ginormous odds, is Toru Uchiha. Thirteen-years-old, Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, and chūnin of two years. Was imprisoned and experienced torture to a small degree when he was twelve years. Shows no sign of the Uchiha kekkei genkai and no signs of having any extraordinary powers."

"Huh," Hanako responds, "I know that kid. He's got some a good ninjutsu repertoire, and his taijutsu and kenjutsu is satisfactory. He tended to avoid using genjutsu, but he was dangerous. He pissed Danzō o– He was the one who discovered ROOT."

"How do you figure that, Hanako-san?" Tsune asks, blue-green eyes focussed.

"Danzō went after him directly, on purpose, back when we were attacking ROOT and he had gotten away from the group that was meant to keep him contained. Almost killed the kid, I gave him time to escape before I was out of the battle with a gut injury," Hanako says. "Commander-sama has belief that the kid'll make it through the trials and join our team."

"You worked with him?" Tsune asks.

Hanako shakes her head. "No, but we guarded each other's backs well enough for strangers and I had no idea where the rest of my team was. We got separated early in like most of the teams."

"You think he's got what it takes to get into ANBU?"

Hanako doesn't hesitate, she nods her head. "Do you think we tell him what to do if the ROOT-nin turn?"

"We're going to have to," Tsune responds. "We can't leave him out, because that could push him into turning, and Konoha's already done wrong by the Uchiha Clan. If he doesn't like the task, then he can file for a new team or serve his time and drop."

Hanako grimaces, "I suppose that's all we can do. I might not be able to access his file like everyone else's, but we can get a good look at his recruitment investigation form. Although, before that, we should figure out what positions we're going to take on the team. I'm an average field-medic for ANBU, and my trapping, tracking, and infiltration is pretty high where the rest of my skills are all average."

"Well, my best skills are taijutsu, kenjutsu, infiltration, and interrogation – including withstanding it," Tsune says. "It'll be great to have a good medic on my team again. My old team had a field medic, but just out and wasn't really made for ANBU."

Hanako nods and Tsune offers no more information. "Want to go see what we can learn about the trials and this Uchiha?"

Tsune stands, stretches, and grins, "Sounds like good fun."

* * *

Toru rushes through the tree branches. He was no longer in the forest, which had given away to sloping hills littered with trees that are all stretched far apart. It's annoying, as it makes it harder to stay hidden. Toru's avoiding taking to the ground as best he can, knowing that he'll more than likely leave a path of visible dust – easy to see and easy to track. Still, there's going to be a point where Toru is forced to take to the ground. He'll most likely have to move his slowest there, which means he needs to do his best to speed through the area he's currently in.

Toru drops from the tree branches, and lands in a river. The water pulses sluggishly beneath his feet, ripples shifting away from his feet due to his chakra. Toru stoops down, crouching, and pulls his two canteens out of his storage seal. He tops both of them up, takes a small sip from one, refills it, and then puts both away. He bends his knees and takes a huge leap, projected slightly with chakra, to land on the branch that overlooks the river. He sits, brings fire chakra to his hand and feels the heat – sees the heat waves – as they surround his wet sandals and dry him quickly. It's a new trick of his, but helpful to avoid leaving behind wet footprints.

Having taken as much time as he dares, Toru continues racing forward, spotting the gleam of a wire with just enough time to flip over it without breaking his pattern too much. Despite it being a sign of the increasing danger, the young chūnin fills contentment flood his heart, knowledge that he's on the right path due to the growing threat. Still, it means his journey is going to continue getting harder and he's going to be pushed harder and faster and then even harder.

This is his second night of running, and he's tiring. He's pretty exhausted, both mentally and physically. Dawn is approaching, steadily, the small flickers of light guiding Toru's path. He has somewhere between twelve to twenty-four hours, but he's getting close to Konoha now. At a guess, he would say he's – at his average speed with normal rests and so forth – roughly a day and a half away. He'll need to rest briefly, let his body recuperate, let his mind rest, let himself drink and give himself time to centre himself.

Toru drops his pace down to a jog, and takes to the ground. He continues his jog for a bit, feeling his heart rate and breathing change due to the slower pace, and once he feels himself starting to tire again, he falls into a walk. He takes this time to drink more water, ensuring that he doesn't gulp the water down. He finds a tall tree and quickly climbs it, relying more on his physical skills than chakra, only using to chakra when he can't grab a branch to pull him up or wavers.

Once in the topmost branches, Toru lets himself relax slightly. He takes another drink, before unsealing a ration bar and eating it. It's one of the bland, cheap ones, so it doesn't taste like the most pleasant thing Toru's ever eaten, but the food tastes good considering that Toru hasn't eaten for a while. The constant movement coupled with the lack of proper food and nutrition would be disastrous on an actual mission and could lead to problems, but considering that Konoha wants him to do this, Toru's not too concerned with his health. His only worry is if there'll be another task immediately after he returns to Konoha and whether he'll get some rest.

The Uchiha lets his eyes close, sinking into meditation first, still wary but letting his mind slowly slip into sleep. The darkness seems to take him immediately, clutching his weary muscles. Despite this, the chūnin stays partially aware, ready to wake at the slightest sound or feeling of danger, and doesn't move from his precarious position.

* * *

"How's it looking on your end?" Shika asked, the wireless communicator catching her message. "We have another recruit down here."

"You get them with poison?" A voice cackles down the line – Hato, Shika reckons. The dove masked ANBU is one of the more poison prone ANBU, and has a tendency to laugh at the consequences of other's idiotic actions and their pain whether it's related or not – as long as it didn't place his teammates or Konoha in danger or harmed in any way that was purposeful and for enemy reasons.

"Yeah," Shika responds with a smirk, just as she lets the genjutsu disappear. The recruit in question, a twenty-year-old male, wheezes fitfully, darting eyes managing to catch the deer masked ANBU and pin her with a glare. "It's a paralytic," she explains, both to the others listening and to the recruit. "The idiot ate without checking for poison."

Hato cackles again and Shika activates another one of her seal scrolls, sending the recruit back to base. "He's with you base," she murmurs.

"Package received Shika-san," someone from base responds.

She crouches onto the ground, fingers touching the ground as she stretches her chakra sense. "I'm picking up an old trail that stops. Someone's gone to ground to get some sleep."

"Pretty sure kid Uchiha was last known to be near your sector!" Hato chirps. Behind her mask, Shika frowns. She's been in ANBU almost five years now. She was in ANBU the last time there had been a young Uchiha, almost the same age, in ANBU. She had seen what ANBU had done to him; everyone had seen the consequences of such a ninja breaking down. Perhaps it's time for her to retire.

"When was the last time someone tailed him?" Shika responds slowly.

"He hasn't had a proper tail," comes the crackle back from base. "He's been moving through sectors fairly quicker and only had to deal with a few traps. He's avoided all of them and kept a hard pace," the report continues, "he's taken no food but has bypassed multiple sources of water. It's believed he has a survival kit on him but no one's checked."

Shika takes in a deep breath, mentally tracks the distance between her and the recruit. "No one else seems to be taking a rest," she says, smirk coming to rest on her face, "I suppose it's time he makes a move."

"Careful, Shika! Someone might think you're trying to make a move on that little kid," Hato says, voice light and mocking.

Shika grimaces. "Fuck you Hato," she responds, "That's fucking sick. Base, can we advance to the next stage?"

Hato's cackle of a laugh echoes in Shika's ear, whether he's laughing at her or about the next stage, she doesn't know. Hato knows just as well as Shika does that being so close to Konoha means that they can start pushing harder and bring out their more dangerous attacks. "Base gives permission for the next stage," someone else says – probably also back at headquarters. Shika grins, and when Hato cackles again, he isn't alone in doing so.

* * *

"The children that went missing," Koharu says, voice flat, "it was all Danzō?"

"Yes," Hiruzen answers with a heavy sigh. "Those who results had been getting sabotaged, those failed graduate nobodies, those potential Academy students, those who weren't quite good enough, those who went unnoticed. All of them, taken – stolen."

"We have done those children a disservice in letting this go unnoticed for so long," Koharu says, voice cold and almost emotionless, but Hiruzen understood.

"We can make it better," Hiruzen says softly but still strongly, "We have a chance now to make things right."

Koharu is already shaking her head before Hiruzen has even finished his sentence. "We can do better now," she says, "but we aren't making things right. We're trying to be better, but don't think we can change what has happened and make things better. These children are going to have to learn how to live. There are so many who will undergo rehabilitation, and even more who fell before they gave in." Hiruzen remains silent, and Koharu takes control of the conversation. "Have you finished going through his files?"

"No," Hiruzen says, frown clear on his face. Koharu doesn't further her line of thought. She understands, to an extent, the nature of the files. She wouldn't be rushing through them either, if she had been the one in charge. "How goes the Academy?"

Koharu allows the change in topic. "As you know, we've had to change many of the teachers," she begins, settling more comfortably into her chair, "and many of our new ones are retired and specialised. However, we still have a few who remain on mission rosters, and there are a few who remain from the previous Academy system."

"I heard you were receiving some complaints from parents regarding some students being subject to favouritism?"

Koharu lets out a bark of laughter. "My old friend," she says, smiling, "two of three parents were civilians, and were talking about one of our students who cannot use chakra outside of their body and was thus undergoing a different education system and receiving specialised training."

"And the other couple?" Hiruzen asks, smile on his face.

"It was due to a disagreement between them and another couple. One was a civilian while the other was a career genin," Koharu reveals. "They were annoyed about the curriculum change and how they believe they can never move up in the ranks."

"Oh?" Hiruzen says in an amused tone. He knows very well how Koharu believes there is no such thing as never moving up in the ranks. She believes anyone who thinks so is a fool, and Koharu does not suffer fools gladly.

"I told them that if they wanted they could come in to listen to the lectures that ninjas who are specialised come in and give. Along with that, I gave them a brochure regarding training, and instructions on how to access the library and various training grounds where chūnin and jōnin often met for training together. I also told them that if they checked out the main office for receiving mission, they would find a pin-up board that has notices regarding training for ninjas of all different levels," Koharu explains. "I haven't seen them since, but their child seems to have improved."

Hiruzen laughs. "Good on you."

* * *

"You think something's up?" Naruto says, kicking a stone as he walks with Sasuke back to their apartment. Sasuke glares at Naruto, who puts his hands up in the universal surrender gesture. "Alright, we both know for sure that something's up," he accepts. "What are you going to do about it?"

Sasuke sighs, shoulders lifting and dropping with the movement, "I don't know," he responds. "Toru said he would explain it, but then he got a mission."

"Did he give you a reason for why he didn't explain it straight away?" Naruto asks as they enter their apartment building.

"Something about it being hard to say and him needing to figure out the words desired," Sasuke responds. "I know something's up and I know he'll tell me. I'm just impatient. He said he was going on an easy mission too."

"Reckon something came up?" Naruto asks, instantly becoming more alert and worried. Sasuke shakes his head and waves his hand. "Right," Naruto says, calming down, "he did say the mission was meant to take a month. It hasn't been that long yet." Sasuke grunts in agreement, fingers tapping against his leg, even as the four dogs rush in excitement around Naruto and him.

"Let's take them for a walk," Sasuke says, dropping his bag off and grabbing two leashes in one hand and throwing the other two to Naruto, who lets his bag crash to the floor with a bang to grab the leashes. Sasuke rolls his head.

"I would _love_ to take these guys for a walk," Naruto says. "I'm just so _glad_ you asked." Sasuke rolls his eyes yet again, and waits impatiently for Naruto, who rolls his blue orbs in response. "I'm coming, jeez, just wait will you?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Sasuke calls back as Naruto ducks into the kitchen.

"Being an asshole!" Comes the answer back. Sasuke sighs, as if everything's trying his patience, and Naruto comes out of the kitchen with an apple in hand. Sasuke attempts to raise one eyebrow and look dignified. "Stop looking – and acting – like a snob," Naruto says. "I got you one too," he adds, chucking the apple at Sasuke. Sasuke catches it, the apple thwacking hard into his palm.

"Thanks," Sasuke says, clipping the leashes in his hand onto Teisatu's bright colour and Haruto's leather collar.

Naruto grins and quickly leashes the other two, and they all leave the apartment behind them. "So, what d'ya think of our new friends?"

"They're not friends," Sasuke responds coldly. "Acquaintances, maybe."

"Well, they're _my_ friends," Naruto says, "I like them and they like me, and they sit with us! I don't know why. I would've thought you would chase them all off like you did with Sakura-chan!" Sasuke doesn't respond. "Anyway, Shikamaru's cool. Like he doesn't tattle on us about pranks and he doesn't care if we do anything as long as we don't bother him. Chōji's alright too, I guess. He mainly sits with Shikamaru and he shares his snacks when he feels nice enough. That's more than _you_ do."

Sasuke sighs, rolls his eyes, and lets the two dogs off their leashes considering they've reached the leash-free area of the park now. Naruto does the same with Ken and Aki. "Ino-chan… she's weird. She's like another version of Sakura-chan but she also cares about her appearance and hair and nails. It's _weird_."

"She's a kunoichi, baka," Sasuke points out.

"So's Sakura-chan!" Naruto says, "An' Sakura-chan says you can use explosion tags."

" _Sakura-chan_ ," Sasuke echoes, "is weirder than you," he says decisively. "No one can be that pink and a civilian-born and a kunoichi and be willing to spar so dishonourably."

Naruto laughs, the sound loud and bright, "Bit hypocritical for you to say that." Sasuke scowls. He wants Toru back so that his lack of knowledge will stop bugging him. He wants Toru back because so much has changed at the Academy and he doesn't know if he likes it.

 _(He wants Toru back because he misses the rest of his family. Naruto eases the hurt, but he can't be everyone – he can't be Toru.)_

* * *

Toru jerks into full conscious as an explosion occurs somewhere nearby. He has a weapon in each hand, reacting due to instincts rather than thought. He takes a breath, scoffs down a ration bar and utilises the Transformation Technique quickly. This is the first explosion he's heard, but even now in the silence that followed the first explosion, he can hear others.

Toru doesn't bother to think too much, leaping away from his resting place and veering off the mental track he's plotted. If something else is happening, he needs to be sure. Konoha probably isn't in danger, but if Konoha is, then he should find out.

 _(He owes nothing to this village, so why does he act like he does?)_

He slows down as he gets closer to the sight, going full out with his stealth, doing his best to completely hide his chakra, while holding up his transformation and seals on his right forearm that only improve his chances of remaining hidden.

It doesn't take him too long to get to the sight of the explosion. The person hadn't been trying to hide and even as Toru pauses in the shadows, he can't seem to spot anyone. That doesn't mean there isn't anybody there. Toru knows this better than most.

It's not quite instinct that has Toru looking up, more of a feeling than anything. However, Toru is certain he's alive due to these _feelings_ , these not-instincts. So, when Toru looks up, he expects to see something. He hadn't quite expected a Konoha ANBU, deer-mask, and armoured.

Four kunai are quickly thrown, and Toru leaps backward, letting go of the henge and the tight hold he had over his chakra. He doesn't know how they found him, but they could be a sensor. It's annoying but it alerts Toru to the fact that a sensor can still sense him, _(he should be better)_.

The ANBU dives toward Toru, and he's figured it out by now – there isn't anything that needs to be investigated. The only thing that happened had been bait being created for some recruit to go to and get caught.

Toru launches backward, sidestepping out of the way, and then racing onward to Konoha. No longer bothered about leaving behind a path that can be tracked. He has a sensor on his tail who is an ANBU to boot. Either way he's going to be tracked.

Toru reaches his top speed fairly quickly, he focusses inward – trusting his body to react on instinct and keep moving forward – and forces his chakra to shrink, doing his best to hide his chakra signature. Once he's certain that his chakra signature will remain as it is, Toru flicks through three hand seals, "Clone Technique," he intones. He then goes through another set of hand seals, "Demonic Illusion: False Surrounding Technique."

The genjutsu hides the basic clone – as Toru can't use a water clone here without the jutsu being obvious – and Toru slows down his pace, working to blend in with the surroundings more. The trick does get the ANBU off of his tail, an Toru sees them disperse the genjutsu, which also causes the clone to flicker and die – because the Clone Technique is a genjutsu.

Toru doesn't have time to curse – mentally or out loud – as the ANBU starts tracking him again. The chūnin quickens his pace, taking to the trees as he enters the forest that surrounds Konoha.

Toru only has one other trick up his sleeve, and there's no guarantee that it'll work. The Uchiha knows that many sensors either use the earth to expand their range or have a range that picks up chakra signatures or traces of chakra above the earth. Either way, most sensors don't extend their range underground, which is where others can hide.

Toru flips off the branch he had been on, weaponry thudding into the wood, and he flicks through a few hand seals. "Earth Release: Hiding Mole Technique," he says quickly, just before he would hit the dirt. The ground swallows Toru up, and Toru feels chakra draining from his reserves. Ignoring this, Toru moves quickly, weaving through strong roots that would cost more chakra to go through. Steadily above him, the ANBU member keeps up.

Thinking quickly, Toru extends the tunnel, even as he stops moving. His chakra pathways burn beneath the strain of holding up the earth around him, but – like Toru had thought – the ANBU follows the tunnel that extends a few minutes.

Toru leaps up through the earth, feeling a burn within him alerting him to his low chakra, but he ignores it, _(he's been through much worse than this; if he isn't dead yet then he can keep moving)_. Toru leaves the ANBU member, who had frozen for a quarter-second too long, and given Toru enough time to gain a tiny head start.

His breath almost catches in his throat when he sees Konoha walls through the trees. The view is quickly lose as the deer-masked ANBU appears in front of Toru. Toru changes direction instantly heading around to the back entrance of Konoha, where many ninjas with high ranked missions come through. The ANBU member stops chasing him, but Toru doesn't let his pace drop, knowing better than to drop his guard despite his proximity to Konoha.

Toru finally comes to a stop just outside the sight of the main back gate. There's a sign nearby with a shogi board on it. The chūnin follows the arrow pointing away from the gate, trusting the shogi board to mean ANBU, as shogi requires tactics and tactical squad is part of what ANBU stands for.

Toru ends up in a clearing, and three ANBU surround him. "Come with us," one demands.

"Prove you are part of Konoha's ANBU," Toru responds instantly, because this could be another test, _(in ANBU, everything is a test even when it isn't)_. The ANBU who had spoken recites one of Konoha's codes, and Toru relaxes. It turns out to be a mistake when one of the three ANBU darts forward. Toru is too slow to block the blow to his head, and he falls – falls down and falls unconscious.

 _(He should've known better.)_

* * *

 **The second part of the ANBU trials commence. ANBU watch and push recruits hard and then harder. Traps and attacks occur often, and the recruits are forced to speeds that they wouldn't normally use. Eruku learns of her new team and meets her new lieutenant. ANBU who partake in the trials continue to hunt down recruits and try to get them out. Meanwhile back in Konoha, tensions rise within the Uchiha household as Sasuke struggles to deal with not knowing and with Toru on a long mission once again. Toru, on the other hand, finally makes it back home, only to discover he isn't safe at all.**

* * *

 **You finally met Toru's team! All original characters created by yours truly. I honestly can't wait to explore their team further. Eruku is epic and Tsune is chill and Souma and Sora are blank slates. I also have to develop their characters as I write - they don't quite have their personalities yet. I kind of let my characters develop as I write them, which I think makes character development something I pay less attention to until it's already occurred. I mean, the writing of Naruto and Sasuke over the course of Current Strength has felt quite awkward for me, as I feel like they're both torn between two different personalities - what was and what could be. Sasuke especially considering what he will learn, whereas Naruto's change is more due to the fact he's making friends and so forth.**

 **Shika and Hato are two random characters who probably won't reappear again. They're just overwatching the ANBU trials and helping kick some recruits out, like quite a few other ANBU. Hato is** dove **, and Shika is deer, by the way.**

 **Koharu and Sarutobi... I wasn't going to write them? Like Koharu just forced her way in to have a conversation with Hiruzen. And they just spoke and I simply showed changes in the Academy through it. Also some stuff about ROOT. It's fun.**

 **Yeah, that's all I really have to say for this chapter. It's pretty straightforward, to be honest. Also, we're at about 35,000 words currently. I've got at least one more chapter for the trials, and then some stuff with Sasuke to do. That'll probably make up the next chapter. After that, we've got the introduction into the team, Academy stuff, Sakura existing. The chapter after will probably be a small mission and some other fun points I have for this chapter. By the end of all of that, I should be at 50,000 and this book should be ready to finish.**

 **Do you guys want to have a small 'interim' book that will have a few scenes that occur during the** something-like **two or** three year **break between the books? That's** in-universe **time skip, not me not writing for two or three years.**


	7. Incommode

**_WARNING: Although not explicitly shown or represented, this chapter contains torture. To be honest, nothing is really shown beyond a punch, and dripping blood. There_** is ** _continuous references to pain._**

MY ** _recommendation: Skip the first two sections until you get to 'An alarm rings, overly loud in the previous silence of the room (cell)._**

 ** _Further notes: Psychological warfare, sleep deprivation, and fighting (similar to all other fights thus far in this series; I do not believe this warrants any warning considering this is a ninja world and there is a lot of fighting)._**

* * *

He wakes, acting instinctually, spluttering and coughing, blinking quickly. Drops of water stick to his eyelashes, the rest slips down his face and neck, before soaking his dark grey t-shirt that's part of his standard chūnin uniform. The chūnin attempts to survey his surroundings, but a heavy punch to his stomach has his eyes centring on the woman in front of him. Toru's breathing stutters momentarily, before he settles into a pattern of shallow breathing.

"Where's the weakest point in Konoha security?" The woman demands harshly.

"Fuck you," comes the elegant response. Toru hisses, the recipient of another harsh punch.

"Get talking or we'll move onto my blades," the woman responds.

Toru bares his teeth and thinks _this is a test_. He could snarl _try me_. He could do a lot of things actually, but the majority of his muscles ache and exhaustion has sunken into his very bones, taking root deep within his mind.

Toru recedes into his mind. The constant action of the past few days, coupled with his exhaustion and continuous thoughts of _it's all a test_ and _ANBU; Jakkaru; this is who I am, this is me, this is where I (a monster) belongs_. The sharp edges of his mind and thoughts has been blunted through sleep deprivation, resulting in his body becoming hypersensitive.

It isn't a new mindset that's starting to take hold of Toru's mind; it's more of an old one that hasn't quite developed in Toru's new life. There's been no reason for the ANBU behaviour and thought pattern. Despite the danger the Uchiha has been in, he hasn't required the murderous and treacherous thoughts and plans that only ANBU come up with. Although he has sometimes needed to separate himself from his emotions – and has done so, Toru has never lost the edge that makes him a weaponised human, rather than a human weapon. Now, more than ever, Toru's mind creeps closer to the ANBU mindset that he frequently used in his previous life.

It's rather surprising how, despite torture and death and murder and massacres and betrayal, Toru hasn't descended so far into himself that he's found the core of the ANBU he had once been. He's gotten close, he's almost accessed it numerous times. However, for better or for worse, he hadn't yet. At the same time, it isn't surprising that Toru hasn't returned to his ANBU persona once in his new life. Everything he's lived through thus far is anything a jōnin could live through, an _Uzukage_ could live through, and despite having been ANBU and ANBU Commander, Toru is capable of being a standard ninja first. Furthermore, he's always had something else to concentrate on _(Sasuke, Naruto, Kiku-Shou-team)_ , and an ANBU on a mission is nothing but an ANBU, a soldier, a deadly weapon.

Beneath the constant stress, constant paranoia, the attacks, the secrets, the tests, the pain, that Toru's been undergoing a ninja would start to waver, falter. Anyone – _everyone_ – would because humans have limits, and there are points where one stops and cannot continue no matter what is at stake. Few ninjas can somehow push past these limits, can collapse inward and change, can drop their humanity and emotions and became nothing but a body with thoughts beyond their mission.

In one life, a jōnin became an ANBU due to pain. In another life, not much is different except this time a chūnin becomes an ANBU.

As the pain grows, Toru is hard pressed to ignore it, because despite telling himself that _pain is just a message_ , it doesn't change the fact that it exists and is just getting worse. Soon, it feels as if there is nothing but pain, and that's all he is. He scrabbles to hold onto something, an image, a word, a series of numbers.

He starts with a member of his family, dark hair and dark eyes and pale skin and an arrogant tilt to his head, but love in his heart. Toru focusses on this image and repeats to himself _this is Sasuke_. Except… between one stretch of worsening pain and another stretch of worsening pain, when he finds himself under water and drowning _(he's drowning and drowning and drowninganddrowninganddrowning)_ , he sees an image of a boy and wonders _who is this?_

It unsettles Toru, not remembering who this person is, but the memory is tinted with happiness and he knows the kid is important but _he can't remember!_ The pain increases and Toru screams, the sound startling him into a second of clarity. He grasps a sentence and repeats it over and over, trying to make it a mantra in his head, trying to make it the only thing in his head. _I am Toru Uchiha._

 _(He hurts!)_

His life is a blur. There is darkness. There is pain. There is something bright – something red? There is something red and it drips… a liquid. It is weird. He is uncomfortable, but there is nothing beyond the discomfort. No, there is – a string of numbers. A six digit number, a code?

 _(Pain.)_

012182\. 012182. 012182. 012182. 012182. 012182. Between one point in time and another point of time, he wonders what they mean. He hangs onto them anyway, because they are all he is – or maybe he is all they are? And then… and then he's gone.

 _(There is nothing but pain.)_

* * *

It's like an ember of a campfire that hadn't been put out properly – there's a small glowing speck and then, buffeted by the wind, everything around catches fire. He had been aware before, but he had forgotten who he was. He doesn't have that problem now.

It doesn't matter who he was or is – _he is_. That's all that matters. A beating heart pulses in his chest and his breath rasps in his throat, breathing shallow. In his bones, there is strength. In his veins, there is life. He is alive. His body is a weapon. He can kill if he chooses to. He is missing his chakra.

It takes effort to gather his thoughts, control his mouth, his tongue, his muscles. He blinks, and he feels pain, _(he was made from pain)_. "This is fake," he says, tongue heavy and jaws not quite fitting together. He isn't sure if what he said sounds like the language he speaks, but he says them anyway.

The woman in front of him blurs, face _(she never had a face)_ turning pale, and then white, and then it is a mask. He is lying down, strapped down. Slowly, the leather straps securing his legs and arms and head are undone, and then the metal cuffs securing his ankles and wrists are undone. He sees seals on them. Chakra restraints. That would explain why he didn't feel quite right, his chakra had been sealed and kept from him.

He is uninjured. A genjutsu, then, he figures. The chakra restraints almost kept him from realising, but the genjutsu had been what let him realise what had been going on. The genjutsu's sole flaw – or the only one he noticed – is that he had made him unable to feel his chakra, but there had been a compulsion to ignore how wrong it felt.

He feels his chakra now, circulating, waiting, resting, and held in the seals on his body. This is real, he figures, because his chakra is there and ready for him to use.

He follows the masked woman, _(ANBU, friendly, possible threat, not deadly to him – not yet, at least; betrayals are all the same, one can only avoid the emotional backlash if one is wary and distrustful of everyone)_ , into a room that's barely furnished. The floor is made up of wood, but smoothed down and probably very strong – unlikely to be used as a weapon. The walls are plaster, but they glimmer and shift and seem to avoid his direct gaze – probably seals decorating them. He could break through them, but he won't, _(always keep at least one skill hidden)_. There is a table in the centre of the room, a fairly small thing with staggering amounts of paperwork in neat piles that look as if they'll collapse any second now. A smaller table sits by the doorway he came through.

The woman turns to him, _(sees him, sees **him** )_, "You are to complete this paperwork. There will be attacks. This is a test. You cannot sleep until you have finished all your work. If you do so, then three more hours will be added to how long you need to remain in this room and awake."

He nods, and she leaves. He takes a seat in the old chair with its uneven legs and uncomfortable backrest and barely there cushion. He picks up the pen, and starts filling out the first form that asks for details regarding his first C-rank mission. The pen is dark blue. It would be a terrible weapon to use to defend himself, but it is the only one has on him. He can still kill someone with it.

 _(He is a weapon.)_

* * *

An alarm rings, overly loud in the previous silence of the room _(cell)_. A snarl fixates itself to his face, at both the sound and the reason he can hear it. This isn't the first time he's heard it, but he thought after the _first second third fifth_ time he heard it, he would remain awake. He's better than this, _he is_. But he's so tired, and it's so easy to slip into sleep.

His grip on the pen tightens, the strokes of the pen grow stronger. There's nothing he can do about this, but keep going. He can't give up here. He refuses to do so. _He refuses_. They might think he will give in, but he won't. He'll prove them wrong – all of them! He'll show everyone who ever doubted him.

He finishes the form, and gets up, muscles stiff and aching from the falsified pain of torture and from constant use over the past days. Still, he moves around the desk, careful to avoid displacing any of the files, and heads towards the entrance. The table there has become the location where any complete paperwork goes.

Just as he gets there, he flips sideways, and weapons thud into the wooden floor, joining numerous others. He ghosts around them, and carefully places the piece of paper onto the desk. He places a kunai – one of the thrown ones from the first attack – on top of the pile. He's learnt the hard way how easily paper flies off piles when weapons are thrown. He's also learnt how paper reacts when a quick, rapid paced taijutsu fight takes place nearby. He doesn't want a repeat of what had happened.

He takes a few seconds to stretch. He knows better than to let his muscles continue to grow stiff and also to let himself lose concentration. He can feel his _second third fourth_ wind increasing his energy levels. He taps his fingers against the wooden table as he sits, and moves quicker to get through the forms.

He can't tell you what any of the forms are about. He had paid attention to the first one – he could recall what that one had been actually, but the more files he completes and fills out, the more repetitive his actions become. Every sheet of paper is a blur of white with sharp black lines that spell out words. Answering the questions and filling in the blanks becomes an unconscious task, and he only finds himself falling further from consciousness.

And then the alarm occurs again and he jerks into wakefulness and demands himself to be better.

 _(Approximately twenty-one hours, to complete paperwork and stay in this room, left. He just needs to hold on for a little bit longer; the paperwork is almost done – his work is almost done.)_

* * *

He finishes. He finishes! Fingers trembling and clenching his jaw against another yawn, he places the final piece of paper down. The pen is also placed down, he straightens it, and lifts his head.

After hours – hours of alertness, hours of attacks, hours of writing, hours of isolation, a masked Konoha ninja enters the room. It's the same woman from before. She watches him, and he is aware that she sees his weakness, this _exhaustion_. "Congratulations recruit," she says, _(is that all he is to them?)_ , "The next test awaits you. You must complete the final test; this is your mission."

If he had been less tired, maybe he would have room for thoughts beyond his exhaustion and would pay attention to his emotions. Instead, he takes her word, distrusting her but trusting that there is another test. He will continue going through test after test until he is finally told that he passes or fails.

 _(The tests will never end, they will continue forever until he falters – dying or losing every sense of who he is.)_

The world blurs again, and he's hit with the massive backlash from being comatose from a genjutsu and held by chakra restraints. His chakra roils. He hisses, eyes snapping open and he quickly shifts upward, bending over and pulling his legs up so he presents a small target.

Within him, his chakra churns like the sea raging beneath the storm. _Windwater_ thrashes through his veins, burning almost painfully. His chakra having been kept contained by something other than his will, floods his chakra pathways, wiping any trace of foreign chakra from his system.

His chakra, neutral, resembles his chakra affinities. It flows quickly, harshly, like water rushing through his veins and surging to swallow everything in his path. Something drives it, heavy and strong, cutting but missing the jagged edge that accompanies blizzard winds. It's like a summer gust, humid and strong and edged, but more like needles than a serrated blade.

It's all in his system, tossing and cresting, taking and giving. He breathes throughout it all. He focusses, forcing his chakra to subside slightly, pressuring it to lose the danger it poses to him. It weakens, answering to him and him alone, and the flood decreases to a trickle. It's all there, however, waiting to be called upon, eager to answer his call.

His body now under control, he allows himself to look up, scanning his surroundings even as he starts categorising his own aches and pains and problems. His fingers tremble – could be due to sleep deprivation or adrenaline still lays heavy in his veins. His exhaustion still clings to him, stronger than ever, and it makes the world feel like it's dragging his body down, making him want to give in to gravity. There's the backlash from the overly long genjutsu as well. Although he doubts he had been caught for as long as it had felt, _(after all, genjutsu frequently messes with the target's sense of time)_ , his chakra is responding as if it had been forcefully sealed and he had called on it regardless. It's a possibility that he had, but he doubts it. There's the lingering impacts from the torture – phantom pains, considering that the torture had also been a genjutsu. He feels overly weak – also due to energy loss – and pain loiters in the back of his mind, and it feels like if he does anything it'll kick back in, stronger than ever.

He's in a training hall of some sort. The walls and floor are wooden. They look strong, and he can see small seals, _(he doesn't get a good look, but he sees hints of components that are primarily use for seals that need to hide something; he guesses that they're to hide surges and flares of chakra)_. The ceiling above him–

There's something odd here, and the moment he realises it, his chakra pulses and flows around him. It cuts through the genjutsu, and he starts moving. He is under attack, on purpose. This is the test, _(kami, when do they end?)_ , that the woman spoke about. He needs to respond with lethal force, and be ready to be attacked with deadly precision, skill, and force.

It's his combat skills that are now being tested. They've tested his ability to withstand torture, tested his ability to survive, tested his survival under harsh conditions, tested his intelligence.

He's under attack by an ANBU, he thinks clinically. He suspects that this is another attempt to break him, _(everything's an attempt to break him)._ He's made for survival, and while surviving harsh conditions is a must, survival is all about fighting – fighting enemies, fighting to breath, fighting to keep living, fighting because sometimes that's all you can do.

The attack is a basic one, a few thrown weapons to make him move and think, to test his response time. Adrenaline floods his veins, helping to increase his attention levels and his reaction times. The slight killing intent that threads the air sets his nerves alight, gives him that edge that danger gives him.

He lands on the ceiling, chakra anchoring him, and takes in his surroundings in half a second – rock ceiling, smooth; rock walls, smooth probably made from a jutsu; rocky ground, rough and could be dangerous. His opponent is male, height roughly 175 centimetres. The hands are fairly smooth, callouses from using weaponry instead of taijutsu. The shinobi isn't trying to hide his chakra.

His chakra sense isn't the best, but he can sense the above average amount that the ANBU member has. He mentally classifies the shinobi as a ninja who relies primarily on chakra – ninjutsu, most likely, but he can't ignore the fact that they _could_ be a genjutsu-based.

Still, the other ninja isn't trying to hide at all. So why should he? He drops to the ground. Chakra rises to his call, abundant and his control wavers in surprise at the amount that readily answers him. There's no point hiding and there's no point not showing off his strength. He'll keep his seals safe behind mental barriers, but seals require good chakra control, time, and concentration – none of which he has right now.

He speeds through nine hand seals, ending on tiger, "Combination Attack: Fire Hurricane," he says softly. The hurricane of wind flares into existence, and then it catches fire as he spits out a fireball. He flips backward, moving away from the heat, even as his opponent flicks through three hand seals. The fire hurricane crashes with a tornado of water. The fire goes out with a hiss and steam fills the room. He hears the thumping of footsteps and then the whistling of the hurricane stops. The sound of rocks hitting the ground echoes in his ears.

He gets hit with a genjutsu, flares his chakra and breaks its hold, "Water Release: Clone Technique," and forms a clone. The clone sinks beneath the ground, and he flips through three hand seals, "Water Release: Tearing Torrent." The spiralling sphere of water slams into the wall, and the steam momentarily moves out of his way so he can see his enemy wiping a few drops of blood off of his arm. There's a cut on his arm, the blood gleams bright red in the light.

His clone takes that second to exit the ground behind his enemy, who's moving sideways but not fast enough, and flame envelops the two. The clone dies in a fit of water encountering fire, releasing more steam to give him more cover. He manages to see a single weapon left – the Body Replacement Technique had been used, and then he's spinning around, kunai in hand. He throws the weapon, forcing the other Konoha-nin to dodge, slowing down, and then he's drawn his katana and the bladed weapon meets the other's tantō.

The sound of metal on metal rings out, and then the pair disengage. His enemy darts low, but he uses his weapon's longer reach to force his opponent back. The ANBU swerves around the blow, and lunges. He's forced to step backwards, and he loses momentum in the fight, and is forced to keep backing away with every blow the other ninja lands.

"Why do you keep going? Why bother fighting? No one cares and no one is coming for you," the ninja says suddenly, and he pauses, _(hesitating, uncertain, what if it's true? He had been betrayed here, it would make sense that no one would care)_ , and it's a mistake. The tantō slices into his arm, and he shifts backwards, just avoiding having the sword dig deeper into his arm. The blood runs in rivulets down his arm, and he leaps up, chakra propelling him, flips over his enemies head, and moves away, gaining space. He sheathes his sword, knowing that with one arm injured his kenjutsu skill will decrease alongside his strength. It could spell _(his death)_ the end of this fight.

* * *

The hesitation that the recruit showed demonstrates how the recruit's psyche can be used against him. Haiena presses on, using his knowledge from the recruit's psyche evaluations to his advantage. He keeps taunting the recruit, questioning why he bothers, quizzing him on who he thinks will come to his side.

The recruit starts cracking, starts fracturing. The pressure, Haiena calculates, is really starting to get to the recruit. That, coupled with the exhaustion and pain from previous tests, must really be getting to the recruit. To be totally honest, Haiena is surprised that the recruit hasn't cracked already.

Haiena continues to pinpoint the weak spots in the recruit's mental state. He keeps pushing and pushing and pushing. There's one moment, when Haiena says something completely minor like _it doesn't even matter if you die, no one will notice anything different_ , and the recruit just breaks.

Haiena has been ready for quite some time, because there are different ways to react. Some ninjas go full out, angry and hurt and lashing out with everything they have. Some ninjas go cold and clinical, calculating but if pushed a bit more will break down further and turn on their self. Others just stop and give up. The recruit turns out to belong to the latter category.

He just whimpers and curls up a ball. "Pathetic," Haiena spits out, because it really is. He wonders how the recruit got this far as he is. He quickly and easily places a genjutsu over the recruit, keeping him in his worst memories.

Haiena leans back and waits, internally debating whether the recruit will be capable of snapping out of the genjutsu. Some ninjas, after spending a prolonged amount of time in a genjutsu with chakra restraints, lose their ability to differentiate between reality and a genjutsu for a few hours, while others become hypersensitive to genjutsu. _Sometimes_ , Haiena thinks calculatingly, _it doesn't matter as the target in question has been broken so thoroughly._

"Haiena-san?" Haiena straightens, turning slightly to face his immediate supervisor. Haiena taps his tattoo in salute and lets his eyes flicker over the recruit, checking that he hasn't moved. The recruit hasn't changed positions, seemingly stuck and whimpering and acting rather pitiful, _(except Haiena doesn't care, either you grow stronger or you die)_. "What's the verdict of the recruit thus far?"

"He's pathetic," Haiena says, "I honestly don't know who thought he was ready for ANBU. It was stupidly easy to break him. Just look at him!"

Haiena's supervisor and captain shifts, and Haiena can sense the confusion and worried crackle of their chakra. Haiena turns, eyes widening behind his mask upon realising that there's no recruit nearby.

Haiena curses and flings himself away from his position, leaping up and onto the wall. He searches, trying to find the recruit and once again hating the fact that his chakra sensory range only extending a metre unless he wanted to push himself to the edge of chakra exhaustion.

The recruit should've stayed down, that had been Haiena's expectation. It had been his captain's expectation, otherwise his superior never would've come due to the danger of distracting Haiena. Snarling beneath his mask, Haiena waits. He waits patiently, because he can do nothing else. Either the recruit is hiding extremely well so that Haiena's eyes can't see them, or he's gone underground. Haiena knows he isn't in a genjutsu. He has almost complete control over his chakra, and he subconsciously changes its pattern every fifteen seconds, making it move erratically to ensure that he doesn't get caught in a genjutsu without realising.

He scans his surroundings once again, and flips, instincts screaming at him. He lands on the ground, turning on the spot to see the slightest flicker of movement. It's gone before he can really focus, and then there's the _bloody_ recruit right in front of him–!

* * *

He has a mission. _He has a mission._ He could break down here and let himself scrabble to connect the pieces and put himself back together, but _he has a mission._ He doesn't need to care about being betrayed or left behind or ignored or forgotten. He has had a village on his shoulders. He has lived within Uzushiogakure, part of her, part of her people. He has lived well, _(he has legends now)_. What does it matter if the world doesn't care who he is? He _is_.

He has a mission. He is a shinobi. His mission demands completion. There is no one to look out for, no one to watch his back. He is alone, isolated. This would be problematic if he assumed he was unable to look out for himself.

 _(He is here and he is alive. What more does the world want from him? What more can it take?)_

He escapes the genjutsu, _(his chakra rests on his chest, contained by a seal that exists in no genjutsu because while genjutsu ensnare his chakra and his senses, it can't ensnare his seals since they don't have minds)_. He's in pain and hurting and so he calls up his chakra, masking it and using a henge and activating his seals that push the attention away from him.

He starts off with a simple taijutsu combo, but his enemy moves out of the way, but they're surprised, on edge, worried. He wants to laugh, wants to grin wildly, fiercely, because he is sure of himself, certain of his strength, his limits, his weaknesses.

He darts forward, his speed reaching the fastest it has this entire time, lashes forward with a punch – which his enemy dodges – but it had only been a feint, and he smoothly transitions into a cartwheel, landing on one hand and continuing his movement so he ends up behind his enemy.

He strikes out, punch catching his enemy on their left forearm, even as a kunai scraps alongside their right thigh. He flips around a kick, twists under a punch, and slips out of a hold, finding himself face-to-face with his enemy. He already has a plan in mind, and while the other shinobi readies his defence, he leaps up, spinning over so his hands slam down onto their shoulders. They stumble beneath the sudden weight, and he twists. He lands lightly on his feet, standing behind the other shinobi, and he wraps an arm around their neck, yanking backwards.

The ANBU exhales suddenly, and jerks one elbow backwards, but he avoids the blow and flips backward, out of range. The ANBU is wary as he flips through something like forty hand seals, and opens his mouth, calling out, "Water Release: Water Dragon Technique!"

The ANBU clearly panics slightly, because the Water Dragon Technique is not made for the enclosed area they are in. He doesn't care. He has a mission. Water appears seemingly out of nothing, and it comes together to form a massive dragon closes in on the ANBU. He pulls his chakra out of the ninjutsu just before the water jutsu slams down where the ANBU is standing.

They get soaked, and he waits, ready for the test to end or for it to go on. His chakra bubbles beneath his skin, and he's on edge. He's in pain and hurting but he's strong. He has strength. He is alive.

The ANBU relaxes, telegraphing his movements, and moves their _(his?)_ hands away from _theirhis_ weapon pouches. "Thought I had the better of you," the shinobi says, and his chakra wavers beneath his skin, _(threat? Danger?)_. "Congratulations, recruit," the shinobi continues, tilting his head. "Welcome to ANBU." He breathes. He _won_. He got here. He breathes. "C'mon, the other recruits are going to head to the quartermaster soon. We might as well get there first."

* * *

01-012-213 wai– No, she isn't 01-012-213. Not anymore, at least. She's Sora, _Sora Asano_ apparently. She likes her new name, she likes its meaning, she likes that she chose it. It hadn't bestowed on her like others in ROOT, but she had taken it for herself, ever since someone had told her that a series of numbers isn't a name. She hadn't understood them, and they had died seconds later, the poison finally reaching their heart. She still didn't quite understand, but she… Having a name made her feel like she had something to herself, something that hadn't been used or taken by someone else.

Sora waits behind another recruit. She probably should've gone to the quartermaster the day before like _01-853-329_ Souma had, or gone even earlier like some of the other ROOT members. Instead, she had waited, worrying that Konoha was going to turn on her, _(it isn't so much of a worry as a certainty, the only question is when will it happen)_.

The quartermaster – Mogura – is the one in charge of distributing weapons, armour, and so forth. From what 01-012 _Sora_ has gathered, Mogura's gender is unknown by everyone.

Sora steps forward, the recruit in front of her finally reaching Mogura. Sora can finally see the recruit's face. He's young, looks like he's in his early teens, and he looks exhausted, bags beneath his eyes and all. He isn't someone Sora knows; he isn't part of ROOT. Although, Sora had assumed that only ROOT took someone so young. She recalls, suddenly, the recent hit orders that had gone out and gone out and gone out and only one had ever returned from those missions alive.

Toru Uchiha looks nothing like Sora expects. He's average height complete with brown hair containing red highlights, long enough to be tied up, and black – or dark brown – eyes. His skin is tan, darker than most Konoha ninjas, and Sora guesses that one of his parents had been from out of the Uchiha Clan and an immigrant or refugee fleeing from the war. Despite his initial appearance, Sora can make out the Uchiha blood – his face is all soft lines and delicate features. His body is soft, sloping lines with long limbs. He looks like the Uchihas that Sora remembers.

"Shirt and pants off," Mogura barks. Toru responds, movements orderly and calm, but Sora feels the need to shift her weight nervously, restlessly. There's a subtle undertone of danger and Sora can hear it as it shouts in her ears.

The only surprise Sora feels, upon seeing all the scars on the Uchiha's body, is muted and faint, but _it's there_. Mogura and Toru have a quick, whisper-silent conversation, and then the Uchiha is pulling on his clothes and leaving.

Sora steps forward, orderly, methodical. She is nothing more than another soldier. She senses that he pities her and she wonders why. She has been blessed in her life to receive the training she has been given. She is one of Konoha's many soldiers, and she is one of their _best_.

* * *

Toru somehow manages to stumble home, relying more on muscle memory rather than controlling himself. He take the path through the rooftops, not wanting to be around civilians or walking through crowds – not entirely trusting himself, either. He's come back to himself now, but he can feel the predator lurking beneath his skin that's finally been released. He trusts it, trusts himself, but also knows himself. He needs safety, especially after being contained in what amounted to enemy ground for so long.

He staggers through the front door, missing all of his usual grace and precision. He finds himself uncaring, though. A dog presses itself against his legs, and Toru sways, balance shifting; he almost falls. "Hi, hi," Toru murmurs, voice rough and grating. "Yeah, I'm back guys," he says, hand dropping onto Haruto's head and ruffling the fur there. He slips off his sandals, shoving them aside with his foot and heading towards the bedroom.

He stops, almost out of the living room and in the hallway. The bathroom, containing the _shower_ , is behind him. He should shower. He wants to shower, but he also really, really wants to sleep. It would make sense to clean up first, to scrub the dirt and muck off of him. He probably smells too.

The only problem is, that if he showers, he's more than likely going to fall asleep and then not get up for a few hours. Toru sighs, shifts his weight, and makes up his mind. _Bed_ , he thinks with the determination of someone who hasn't slept for days. He drops his flak jacket on the back of the couch, and finally – _finally_ – makes his way down the hallway and then into the main bedroom.

He almost walks into the bunk bed where Sasuke and Naruto _(his family)_ sleep, and comes to a confused halt. He blinks, staring at the bed as if it'll move if he wills it enough. A dog, Ken, nudges his leg, and Toru steps out of the way. He walks forward, a clear path now available to him.

He pulls off his clothes quickly, dumping the dirty laundry in a pile at the bottom of his bed, and clad in his boxers, slips beneath the covers of the bed. The bed dips and paws pad across blankets and settle around him. The warm bodies ground Toru, remind him where he is. The wards are warm around him, projecting _safety-home-refuge-secure-secure-secure_. Toru relaxes, tension dropping away, muscles losing the tight coil they've constantly held. Toru has time – the day after tomorrow is when he will return to ANBU.

 _(His mission: meet the ANBU quartermaster, Mogura, at 0900.)_

Toru Uchiha sleeps and if he dreams, he doesn't realise.

* * *

What clues Sasuke in that something isn't right is that the moment they enter their apartment, there are no dogs to greet them. Sasuke grabs Naruto's shoulder, and Naruto stops his yabbering, meeting Sasuke's gaze. Sasuke taps Naruto's left palm. It's a signal meaning possible danger. They've got a small set of signs between them, silent because if you're fighting Toru, you can't speak unless you want to get attacked.

Naruto puts a finger to his own mouth, and the pair scan the room together, acting like they had been taught in the Academy and by Toru. Naruto is the one who catches the clue that explains why the dogs haven't greeted them today. The flak jacket is dirty and in large need of a wash, but it's _Toru's_.

Sasuke and Naruto exchange wide grins, and they dart towards the main bedroom, feet hitting the floorboards in a way that's almost light. They stand in the doorway, and smile at the scene they can see. Toru is hidden beneath a blanket, legs curled up due to a black-and-white dog stretched out along the end of the bed. Against Toru's back rests Haruto, with his own back resting against Toru's, and stretched out with his own head on the pillows. Teisatu is curled up where Toru's legs bend, her head resting on Haruto's rump.

The scene is adorable, but it also shows how tired Toru is. Naruto, in a loud, hissed whisper that seems to be his quietest setting, says "Should we take the dogs for their walk?"

Sasuke finally spies Ken, who's on the ground beside the bed. "Yeah," he says decisively, "You know what Haruto and Teisatu are like when they don't get walked."

"Gonna leave Ken here?" Naruto ask as they leave the room. "Or you planning to see who comes when we grab the leashes?"

"The latter," Sasuke confirms as he grabs the dirty flak jacket, "You grab the leashes and I'll go put this in the laundry."

"Ha, have fun!" _(Honestly, Naruto stuffs up one time and then Sasuke is constantly stuck doing the laundry when Toru's gone.)_

* * *

Toru wakes up approximately twenty hours after he returned to the apartment. He showers, gets into clean clothing, decides that he's hungry and warms up leftovers. There's a note on the kitchen table from Sasuke and Naruto, welcoming him home and telling him he's been missed. Toru smiles at it, and starts eating his food. He startles himself into wakefulness and finds himself almost diving headfirst into his food. The exhaustion is digging its claws into him again, dragging him back into darkness.

Here, where the wards hum and resonate safety. Here, where Toru is protected. Here, Toru feels safe enough to sleep. The edge he gained over the ANBU trials has faded, disappeared as it became unneeded. He's safe here. If anything happens, he will wake up with the wards screaming at him and his own instincts yelling. If anything happens, there are four dogs who will kill for him without question. If anything happens, Toru _will not die_ because Sasuke and Naruto missed him.

 _(Toru isn't the best with words, but he knows – now – that there's no good way to tell Sasuke. He will do it the only way he can – bluntly, realistically, but he will try to be kind.)_

 _(How do you tell a kid his clan was murdered on orders kindly?)_

He needs to speak with Sasuke.

* * *

 **The ANBU trials test recruits. It finds their pain threshold, their ability to withstand torture. It forces them into harsh conditions and pressures them to survive. The trials were made to break everyone who took part in them. Those who survive are the ones who make it through. Many drop out quickly, and some break revealing themselves to be unfit for duty. The few that make it… those are the dangerous ones. The ANBU trials are officially over. Toru returns home, exhausted and tired, but alive and unbroken. The only question that remains is whether Sasuke will break because of the news Toru has to share.**

* * *

A _ **NBU is not for the weak. It is not a nice place. The missions are the ones that the normal forces don't take. Recruits are tested and tested. Yes, I will undoubtedly be showing nice sections of ANBU - the teams, the organisation, but there will always be a deeper undercurrent. Many missions will be terrible and not fun to read. Some will still be gruesome but won't be as bad. There is one mission I have planned that won't be so bad. However, I will probably include one or two of Konoha's accepted missions that aren't very nice at all.**_

 _ **I'd like to point out that there is a point where Toru transitions from being /Toru/ to being /him/. I stop using his given name and only use pronouns. Toru changes within**_ ANBU, _ **so that he can cope. He is still, ultimately, Toru, but he is also different. Toru copes by separating himself into his ANBU persona, which is dangerous and will do the worst for the sake of the mission, and Toru Uchiha who is human and has a family and needs to feel his emotions. Meanwhile, his ANBU persona is mission orientated. Essentially, emotions take a back seat so that he recognises them but they don't impact his view too much. He still has to justify everything to himself and he isn't locking them away because that's a Bad Idea. You guys will get to see more of this persona... also, you get to see Toru's mask and meet his entire squad in the next chapter. Probably. It'll be fun! Maybe.**_

 _ **Kudos if you remember the name Haiena from somewhere.**_

 _ **I don't have much to say regarding Sora here. She has a few things to call her own. You see how she initially represents herself. She's angry at what's been taken from here, what she's lost. She's still getting around this 'name' thing, but she shows that she has a serious dislike regarding what ROOT did to her. If you guys pay special attention to the end of her section, she reverts pretty badly. All of a sudden, she's just another soldier and not a person. She's a weapon. She does as ordered. She has been blessed to be part of ROOT and to receive that training. She's been told to believe she is one of Konoha's best. This regression is due to her realisation she felt**_ surprise _ **, that she felt emotion. She's been conditioned to immediately think that ROOT is this great organisation and epic and everything. Hence, you have someone showing emotion and then they go back to thinking ROOT is the Best. It isn't, but she's just another brainwashed ninja in this world. However, there's definitely something like a personality in her. It's just stuffed behind training and caged.**_

 _ **And that's all I really have to say right now about this entire chapter. You will be seeing some interaction between Toru and Sasuke. Hopefully, I'll see about getting some stuff between Naruto and Sasuke afterwards, and there'll be a scene with Toru and Naruto, but the one I have planned is only small because there are other important things to focus on. We might see some more of the Academy and Sakura and**_ co., _ **because Sakura is awesome and I want to develop her as a character some more. We should see Toru's return to the ANBU headquarters as well, but it all depends on my word count for Sasuke and Toru and the Uchiha massacre.**_

 _ **Also, I officially got my first hate message regarding this series. Someone was unaccepting of Shou and them being a genderfluid character. They firmly believed that a person can't simply change. Too bad for them, but I've got some amazing readers on AO3, and also have already written the entirety of Sea Dreams, whether or not I'm slowly putting it up**_ on . _ **Furthermore, I'm pretty sure I'm strong enough that one comment won't bring me down. Anyway, my point here is that you guys have all been epic - whether you read my author notes or comment or remain silent. You guys have been a driving force behind this entire series and I'm thankful that you're all kind and accepting.**_

 _ **Cheers for being awesome guys! Keep it up!**_


	8. Portentous

_**ChocoGummies You commented you wanted another chapter, so here's the next update! Sometimes all one needs is a little prompting, especially since I've already written all of Current Strength. As always, if you want to find where I'm currently up to search for me on Archive Of Our Own and the series will be there - I'm currently up to the next book (Tideswept).**_

* * *

Toru wakes once more, and finally sets himself about his tasks. It's sometime after lunch, so he only sleeps a few more hours, that he wakes up once again. He feels much better, refreshed and actually aware of everything that goes on around him. The first thing he does, after eating again, is start doing an inventory. He goes over his weapons, records what he's lost and smiles once he figures out that his clothes have been washed and are now drying.

Thankfully, he hasn't lost too many of his weapons, which is due to the simple fact he didn't partake in any major fights. He activates his gravity seals once more, and starts stretching. His muscles ache even more as he forces himself to reach further than he can without strain. Once he's warmed up, he moves into a slow kata set, checking his range of movement and testing his limits. The other purpose the kata serves is that it'll make his muscles lose the stiffness they've attained seemingly overnight.

Toru doesn't do much for the rest of the afternoon, instead spending his time going over banking statements and checking over both the Uchiha Clan's account and the account he uses to pay for the apartment and everything that Sasuke, Naruto, and he needs.

The income generated from the renters in the Uchiha Clan Compound is roughly 11,006,000 ryō per month. Of course, the profit made is a much lower number of around 6,936,000 ryō per month. The cost of the building and construction that had occurred earlier did put a rather large dent in the clan's funds. The profit coming in each month has yet to cover the money spent on the construction. Furthermore, there's the money that Toru keeps putting aside to cover the twenty houses that are occupied by people who cannot afford to pay the rent, plus the money that goes into covering the costs of resources that Toru supplies the Kakumau with.

Toru pours over the notices and forms, reviewing and making notes in a notebook. He figures out how many months until he'll finally break even with the expense from the building in roughly a year, as long as he doesn't use a large amount of the Uchiha Clan funds and the income doesn't change.

A lock clicks, and Toru jots down the last number, trusting in the fact that the wards haven't gone off. He caps the pen and puts everything away, placing them in a draw with all the rest of the bank statements and notes.

He doesn't want to do this. He wants to pretend that everything is fine. He doesn't want to say the words he has to. He knows it's necessary, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. He doesn't want to do this, _(he's a coward at heart)_. He knows why he must do this, though. He knows what could happen if he doesn't, and he doesn't want to see that happen.

"Toru!" Naruto shouts upon seeing him, blue eyes lighting up in jubilance. Toru smiles back in response, "You're finally awake!"

Toru laughs, "I slept for quite some time, didn't I? Thank you for the message," he adds, eyes sweeping over the pair, "both of you."

Naruto's grin widens, something Toru didn't think is possible, "We're glad you like it!" Sasuke grunts in agreement, and Toru feels something within him soften.

 _(He can't do anything about what he has to say, can't soften the words, can't make the words kind, and he can't say it gently. However, he has to hope that it'll turn out alright – that's all he has right now, so he will make do.)_

Toru glances around, eyes sweeping over the apartment, before his gaze drops onto Sasuke. He nervously wets his lips, before angling himself to face Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, do you mind if I have an overdue conversation with Sasuke?"

Naruto frowns. "I can't hear?"

Toru purses his lips and shakes his head, crouching down so he's on more of an equal height with the almost ten-year-old. "The Hokage said I can only tell Sasuke, and I promised him I would tell no one else."

"Well, if you promised," Naruto says slowly, "then you better keep it. Can Sasuke tell me later?"

"I'm afraid not," Toru answers.

Naruto nods, eyes squinted and eyebrows lowered, "Alright," he says. "I understand. I'll go do my Geography homework in the kitchen then."

"Thank you for understanding," Toru says sincerely, meeting and holding Naruto's gaze. Naruto gives him a week grin, punches Sasuke in the shoulder, and heads towards the kitchen, Aki bouncing along beside him.

"Give me a second," Toru tells Sasuke, who nods in a terse movement, before sitting on one of the couches. Toru heads to the entrance of the bathroom, and on the left of the doorway, slides his chakra into a hidden seal. The seal glows blue, and the unused privacy seal activates, ensuring that sound doesn't travel out of the living room, which is the area that the seal covers.

Sasuke tilts his head, "What was that?" He asks, leaning forward.

"A privacy seal," the older Uchiha explains. "It's a fairly high level seal that's made by combining a silencing seal with a dampening seal. It also has a genjutsu component. Essentially, it ensures that no sound leaves the barrier. It also, not that this matters right now, makes the chakra signatures within the area that the seal covers seem smaller or dampened. The genjutsu component of it guarantees that people can't read lips and makes the people within the seal, and the conversation that goes on between them, seem unimportant. This seal covers the living room only."

There's a moment of silence between them, and Toru rolls his shoulders, uncomfortable and feeling the tension rise in the room. He doesn't know how to approach this. "What do you need to tell me?" Sasuke finally asks, clearly growing annoyed at the ongoing muteness.

"Right, so, do you remember when I was reported dead?" Toru begins. Sasuke frowns, eyebrows lowered, but nods. "What had happened was that my partner for the mission had attempted to kill me." Toru immediately puts his hand up, and Sasuke shuts his mouth with an audible click, and crosses his arms. "You remember how we've had conversations of something being corrupt in Konoha?"

"Yes," comes the tight-lipped response.

Toru sits down on the couch a cushion space away from Sasuke, and turns, sitting sideways with crossed legs. "We weren't wrong," he says as Sasuke repositions himself. "There is – _was_ – something corrupt in Konoha. There had been for years. With the help of y summons, I managed to infiltrate the main base of the organisation, which was headed by one of the Hokage's advisors. When I was there, I grabbed some files as proof… I took specific folders that were important to me. I brought what I had found to the Hokage and soon after a battle occurred against the organisation – ROOT, it was called. It ended in our favour, and ROOT was disbanded, its leader killed."

Toru swallows and knows the hardest part is yet to come. "There are some other things that happened, but they aren't important. The part I'm about to tell you is classified even more than everything you just learnt about ROOT, okay?"

"What rank?" Sasuke asks.

Toru pauses to think, "S-ranked," he decides. He waits for Sasuke's acknowledgement before continuing. "About two years ago, there Uchiha Clan planned a coup d'état to overthrow the Konoha leaders and incite a civil war within Konoha due to the growing negative reputation the Clan was gathering. Many members of the Uchiha Clan wanted to put an Uchiha in power to correct the perceived wrongs the Uchiha Clan apparently faced."

Sasuke's face has gone pale and he's biting his lip, but the Academy student appears to be doing his best to hide his emotions, _(there is nothing about this that Toru doesn't hate)_.

"The Uchiha Clan attempted to put a spy within the elite forces of Konoha – the ANBU. Itachi had been chosen as that spy. However, Itachi cared for the people of Konoha and loved Konoha, and didn't want such a bloody war to occur. Thus, Itachi turned to the Sandaime and told him everything. The Sandaime immediately started trying to find a peaceful solution that would result in no deaths.

"Now, this next bit I'm about to tell you is something that only one shinobi ever knew, and he's dead now. _No one can know of this_ – understand?" Sasuke nods. "Shisui was ordered to spy on Itachi by the clan, as other Uchihas were getting worried that Itachi had strayed and was working for the other side – that had happened. However, Shisui was loyal to both Itachi and Konoha. He, like Itachi, didn't want to see a civil war incited as it would only end in rivers of blood in Konoha's streets. Shisui confronted Itachi and the pair agreed to try and find a peaceful solution, hiding the truth from the rest of the clan.

"I don't know what happened afterwards, but I can guess quite a few things. Shisui had the mangekyō sharingan. I'm not sure when he got it, but he had it. Anyway, somehow Shisui and Itachi ended up meeting with the leader of ROOT because he had so much power and influence – I don't know whether they knew of ROOT or not. I think they did. Shisui had his eye stolen by the leader, and I guess that after that he died and framed it as a suicide. He probably didn't want Itachi to be blamed for his death."

"Do you… do you think that Shisui caused Itachi to get the mangekyō sharingan?" Sasuke asks, face drawn and pale, hands clenched and knuckles white.

Toru shrugs and heaves a sigh. "I don't know. It's a definite possibility. Anyway, after Shisui's death, I reckon everything got really stressful and the ROOT leader started exercising their power." The eldest Uchiha in Konoha closes his eyes, finds a core of steel within, and continues talking, "This is what I know for facts, okay? Try to listen, try to _understand_ , Sasuke. The leader of ROOT gave Itachi an ultimatum – the entirety of the Uchiha Clan will be killed by, I'm guessing, ROOT, or Itachi has to kill everyone in the clan except for Sasuke. The ultimatum was framed as an order from the Hokage. Itachi didn't know the order hadn't gone through the Hokage and the Sandaime had no idea of what was occurring.

"Itachi massacred the entire clan aside from you because he didn't want you to die."

Toru sees the cracks before they really appear. Sasuke simply _breaks_ , and the thirteen-year-old can do nothing but pull Sasuke into his arms and wait it out. There is no advice he can offer, no kind words, nothing to gentle the hurt that Sasuke feels. He can do nothing but let everything run its course. He is helpless, _(he is useless; he caused this)._

Sometime later, Sasuke draws back, and looks at Toru, really looks at him. "There's more, isn't there?" He asks in a shaky, tired voice.

Toru feels the weight of a fallen village on his shoulders, and he can feel the pressure of the knowledge he has as well. Exhaustion seems to have been engraved into his very bones, and he's not sure that it will go away with sleep. "Yeah," he says, softly, "there is. Once Itachi had fulfilled his orders, he reported to the Hokage. When the Hokage learnt of what had happened, he created a cover story for Itachi. He made it so that Itachi had worked alone as he didn't want the Uchiha's reputation to be ruined if people learnt of the plans of the Uchiha, and the village wouldn't be tarnished for its involvement. Itachi managed to assimilate into a criminal organisation, and prevent it from moving against Konoha and informing Konoha of said organisation's actions. The Hokage also said that he had ordered ROOT to disband, but clearly that hadn't happened."

Sasuke leans into Toru, before looking up at the older boy. "So, what are you planning to do?" He asks, trusting in Toru, and Toru's heart swells with this realisation.

"Ultimately, the aim is to get Itachi back to Konoha – I have reason to suspect his health is failing as well. Our primary aim is to bring the Uchiha Clan's reputation back up and extend our influence. This will mean that I'll probably be required to exert some more political influence. I'll see what I can do in the next clan meeting. We may need to host something in the Uchiha Clan Compound, bring visitors in… I'll need to try and get some more information on the organisation."

"Can I do anything to help?" Sasuke asks.

"Make your way up the ranks," Toru responds. "Get allies and make friends, make yourself important. I suppose you can get stronger as well, but that's a given."

"Yeah," Sasuke agrees, "I will." He hesitates, seemingly torn between saying something and staying silent. Toru waits. "If he's a missing-nin of Konoha… Does that mean I can bring him in alive?"

"Yes," Toru says, having completely forgotten that capturing Itachi as a missing-nin is a possibility. "But you'd need to get a lot stronger. _I'd_ need to get a lot stronger before I took him on."

"So, we both need to get stronger then," Sasuke says decisively. "And once we're strong enough to bring Itachi home, we do it."

Toru swallows, and thinks how much Sasuke has grown – changed from an angry, grieving, hating boy of eight to a fairly adjusted boy of ten who rolls with the punches. "Yeah," Toru agrees. "We do it, together, right?"

"Naturally," Sasuke says, a smirk appearing on his face, wavering but _there_. "What better thing to do with family?" He asks, glancing over to where Naruto is doing his homework. "The entire family."

* * *

Toru Uchiha stands next to a jōnin who's easily six years his senior. Not that it matters here, in the Hokage's office, with the ANBU Commander and the Hokage watching them all. Toru holds himself steady, feeling restless and nervous between the scrunity he's receiving from both his superiors. The Hokage is even standing.

"You've made it to ANBU," the Hokage starts, voice level and even, flat and monotone. Toru feels the need to fight and fight and fight rise within him, and he battles the adrenaline down. There is nothing to fight here. "Konoha, and myself, thank you for committing yourself to ANBU. I ask, however, that you do not thank anyone for what you are doing. You are corrupting your soul for Konoha and that does not deserve thanks. You all deserve our thanks. You will now take the oath of being an ANBU. Repeat after me: I hereby give my life to ANBU."

"I hereby give my life to ANBU."

"Everything I do from now on will be for the benefit of Konoha and never will I betray her."

The ANBU recruits repeat after the Hokage, each voice not quite achieving the monotone and even tone that the Hokage spoke the oath in. Each recruit writes the oath on steel and that steel is what their spine is made out of.

"My body and soul belongs to Konoha and Konoha alone."

"My body and soul belongs to Konoha and Konoha alone."

"The only will I have is Konoha's will. Every breath I take is Konoha's breath."

"The only will I have is Konoha's will. Every breath I take is Konoha's breath," the recruits say, almost in unison.

"The mask I take will be the face I am."

"The mask I take will be the face I am."

"I pledge and swear to give everything in the name of Konoha."

"I pledge and swear to give everything in the name of Konoha."

"Congratulations, initiates, you have officially been recruited into Konoha's ANBU forces. You have already had your chance to back out, and if you wish to retire, you must perform the mandatory one mission first," the Hokage then steps back just as the ANBU Commander steps forward, the movement smooth, practised.

"You have all been put into teams of either four or five," the ANBU Commander says. "Each team has a leader and a second in command, none of you will have these positions as initiates. Your team leader will be waiting for you at HQ. They will answer any questions you have and explains how ANBU works in detail. Dismissed." All the initiates bow before quickly leaving, heading towards ANBU headquarters.

Toru fades into the shadows, feeling uneasy in the ANBU armour that had been given to him less than an hour ago. It isn't that the armour is uncomfortable, because it fits perfectly, but Toru is unused to it. The ANBU armour, while customised for Toru, is the standard uniform – black, sleeveless turtleneck, grey torso armour complete with bands for his sword, and black pants. He put one weapon pouch on each leg, with the third stored for an emergency. The weapons he's been given – three braces of shuriken, three braces of kunai, and two braces of senbon – equally divided between the two pouches. He's wearing the standard ninja sandals, the ones without spikes, and has his medical kit stored away in a seal. He's ignored the metal arm guards and black gloves that go underneath it. If he's going into a fight today, he'll put them on, but he doesn't see the need for them currently.

He gets to headquarters, not the last and not the first, but he easily sinks into the shadows, keeping to the edge of the main room. He can easily spot numerous masked members half-hidden, watching. It puts him on edge, and he feels himself shifting his priorities and slipping into his ANBU identity, moving away from laughter and love and towards danger and instincts.

The earliest recruits are appearing to get more on edge, feeling like they're being watched – which they are. He watches in amusement as they some of them shift while others hold themselves stiffly, wanting to shift but not doing so.

Then, _finally_ , one of the ANBU operatives drops from the roof, hidden in one of the shadows, inciting a flinch and reaction amongst most of the new initiatives – most moved into defensive positions. He turns to the masked ANBU as they approach him. "Toru Uchiha?" He nods, "I will take you to your time. Our captain is grabbing the other two recruits."

"Lead the way," he responds, and the masked ANBU strides off, movements smooth and graceful and footsteps silent. He follows, feet silent against the floor; he keeps a wary eye on his surroundings.

He trails after them into an office, where he is finds three other ANBU waiting. One of them is strangely familiar, clad in an elk-masked – they had helped him in his fight against Danzō. The other two are unmasked, recruits like him.

"Welcome to ANBU," Eruku says, "You will now receive the mask that will become your face. "Sora Asano," the female recruit steps forward, and Toru does his best to not react to the last name, _the Uzushio name_. "You will take up the name Kyatapirā."

The kunoichi takes the mask, bows, and steps back in line.

"Souma Abe," _(and Toru wonders what the chances are of having the stolen Uzushio children on his team)_ , "You have been given the name Ibisu."

The other recruit steps forward and claims the mask, taking it like it belongs to them.

"Toru Uchiha," he steps forward, ready to take on his name, take on a name for his identity within ANBU, "Due to the increase in ANBU forces, masks have come out of commission – one of which is the jackal mask. It has a legend you will never be able to fulfil, but perhaps – one day – you may be able to make it a name for yourself. The name you have been given is Jakkaru."

 _(What are the chances?)_

Jakkaru takes the mask, eyes tracing harsh red lines that look familiar, but are off to his eyes from memories of another mask. He doesn't put it on his face, instead clipping it onto his uniform.

 _(There are **not** tears in his eyes.)_

 _(But damn, he feels like he's come home.)_

Eruku and Kirin take off their masks, and Jakkaru fades slightly, unneeded and out of danger. His absolute control over his emotions weakens, allowing them to push forward. "Welcome newbies," Eruku says with a kind smile, "to Squad 42-56. I am the leader of this squad with Kirin-san as my lieutenant. We'll give you a quick rundown regarding ANBU and its rules, plus the rules within our team."

"Unlike what many expect, there are actually multiple subsections within ANBU. All three of you belong to the largest subsection – the general group. You may end up being moved into another subsection, which means you may be required to join another team for specific missions if they are in need of your abilities," Kirin explains.

"All teams have a captain, myself, and a second in command, who is referred to as a lieutenant. Teams are generally made up of five members, which includes the captain; however, sometimes teams are made up of four members if they are very good at working together and there's no one to fill the gaps."

"Despite our positions on this team, ultimately we all answer to the ANBU Commander. However, neither you nor I will see them regularly, as that is the captain's responsibility," Kirin continues. "As you can see, every team has an office within HQ. There's an adjacent locker area and a shower room that contains a small bathroom."

"An important thing to note is that ANBU teams can be changed every year. And, like Kirin-san mentioned earlier, members from teams can be requested to fill in temporary positions in either teams or partnerships for missions that require their skills. This doesn't happen often, and never with a rookie in their first year," Eruku says.

"Now, in regards to names both on mission and off," Eruku continues. "When we're not on a mission, you may call me Hanako-san unless we're masked, in which case call me Taichō or Eruku-taichō. The same goes for in missions."

"You may call me Tsune-san outside of missions," Kirin, _Tsune,_ says, "Otherwise, call me Chūi, Kirin-san, Kirin-chūi. You can figure out what you wish to call yourselves among each other. It has no great importance."

"Now, in regards to the quartermaster – who you have all met now. Mogura-san is in charge of distributing weapons, armour, mission kits, and so forth. They are to be respected by everyone. They will give out mission kits, but you are responsible for taking care of your own gear and so forth. Mogura-san will give out replacements and will do repairs, but only for ANBU gear. This gear is specialised for ANBU and cannot be used for missions other than ANBU missions."

"Mission kits consist of numerous things, but we can go through that for when we are actually issued a mission," Tsune adds after Hanako finishes speaking.

"If you have any other questions, feel free to ask either of us," Hanako says, "but that's all I can think of to tell you right now. Do you have anything to add, Tsune-san?"

"Think that's all really, but I suppose an introduction is in order regarding our skills, and then we should best head off so you all can get your tattoos," Tsune says. "I'm Tsune Yamanaka, and my main focus is close-up fighting with my best skills in kenjutsu and taijutsu. Infiltration and everything to do with it is also my forte."

"Hanako Mura. I'm the medic-nin of the team, coincidentally, but I'm only of average skill, so if you acquire any injuries in field and I tell you to get it checked out afterwards, _do so_. My best skills are infiltration, seduction, trapping, and tracking."

Toru glances at the other rookies, but none of them seem to be making any attempt at introducing themselves. "Toru Uchiha," he says in lieu of introducing himself. "What I mainly focus on is ninjutsu, but I dabble a bit in fūinjutsu. I know some iryō ninjutsu, but not enough to qualify as a medic-nin of any rank." He shifts his steady gaze from his team leaders to the teammate beside him – Souma Abe, who meets his gaze and half-shifts his weight; Toru catches the movement.

"I am Souma Abe," he says in a monotone. "Stealth, interrogation and torture, withstanding torture, and taijutsu are my best skills."

"I am Sora Asano," the last recruit says, sounding almost timid. It makes something in Toru's shoulders relax. He can tell his fellow recruits are from ROOT, and he is glad to see that at least one of them feels some sort of emotion. "I am best at genjutsu, but my speed and sensing skills are good, along with my ability to conduct interrogations and torture."

Tsune and Hanako exchange unreadable glances, and Toru half turns to look at his fellow recruits. "Avoid telling people you are good at torture and interrogation," he says flatly. "You may make others uncomfortable, especially those who are younger and less experienced – mainly those in lower ranks. They aren't expected to deal with torture or interrogation and tend to avoid the brutal reality of such things."

"I don't understand," Sora says after a minute of silence passes. "Why?"

"People can be made uncomfortable by such things," Tsune interjects. "Not all Konoha ninjas are ANBU material. Hanako-san, is it time for these three to get their tattoos?"

"Good idea," Hanako replies. "Come along newbies."

* * *

Tsune senses the two previously ROOT, now ANBU members shrink and play with their chakra signatures. She keeps her chakra level in response, knowing that the pair can feel her through their new ANBU tattoo. Both Souma and Sora put her on edge, they simply seem to be something less than human and it worries her. Souma more so than Sora, as Sora appears to be capable of showing emotion, minimal as it currently is.

The team's last recruit, Toru, seems to take it all in easily, rolling with it all. Both Hanako and Tsune had been ready to step in earlier, but it had been unnecessary in the end. Tsune had stepped in seconds later, putting a stop to the conversation, and knowing that it wouldn't be continued later.

"He's done," the tattoo-artist finally says, moving away from Toru. "You can activate it now," she explains to Toru. "It'll feel a bit weird, but you should get used to it pretty quickly. You can figure out how to hide your presence in your own time."

"Thank you," the boy says quietly, moving slowly. Unlike the other two newbies, he got his ANBU tattoo on his right shoulder, due to having seals on his left shoulder. And to think the boy had said he only dabbled in fūinjutsu. Tsune wonders if her new captain plans on having a conversation with the boy about correctly judging his skills. It's unlikely that an ANBU member would overestimate or underestimate their own skills, so perhaps the boy is unable to use fūinjutsu in a fight or can only use basic seals and is still learning.

"So a quick rundown on the ANBU tattoo," Hanako starts, "Through it you can sense other ANBU members, including your team. It covers a range, but you can mute – I guess? – most chakra signatures, so you only sense a few familiar ones, generally your team. You can also hide your signature from others, but it requires more work than how you would do it normally, as the tattoo is linked to your chakra signature. Any questions?" No response comes from the rookies and Tsune rolls her eyes from the back of the group. She had forgotten how awkward teams could be when teams had multiple newbies.

"Alright then," Hanako says, "Sora-chan and Souma-kun, you two are dismissed. Toru-kun, I have something else I need to discuss with you. Everyone, we will meet up tomorrow at fourteen hundred in our room. Be prepared for training."

The two older rookies don't say or do anything before leaving, meanwhile Tsune continues following her captain and the youngest rookie on her squad. She had spoken to Hanako earlier about talking to the boy, and they had both agreed on a plan of action. The trio end up back in their team's room.

The moment the door shuts, Toru speaks, "This is about the two ROOT members, yeah?"

Hanako nods. "If they betray Konoha, they are to be considered traitors without any questions asked. No mercy will be offered."

"Is that all?" Toru asks, and Tsune is surprised to see that the boy doesn't outwardly react to the news.

"No, due to your position, Sandaime-sama has declared that you have to have at least twenty-four hours off each week without interruption due to ANBU. Furthermore, you must submit to psychological evaluations every month, unless you're on a mission," Hanako explains. "These terms are non-negotiable."

Surprisingly, the rookie reacts negatively to the information – annoyance flashing across his face, before his face smooths over. "Thank you for telling me Taichō." The rookie taps his hand to his right shoulder, where his ANBU tattoo lays, in salute before leaving.

"I'd say that went well," Tsune says. "He doesn't show any signs of displeasure in regards to the possibility of his teammates turning on him."

"This team might work out," Hanako responds with a small smile. "I have to admit, I was unsure when I learnt that it'd be made up of three rookies, someone out of retirement, and myself, but it does have potential."

"I'm not overly sure about the two older rookies, I must admit," Tsune replies, rolling her shoulders back before stretching her arms upwards. "However, no team really settles down until their first mission."

Hanako hums in agreement. "How long are you remaining in ANBU for?"

"A maximum of six months," Tsune answers. "We'll have that long to decide upon a new lieutenant and train them. However, it depends on how the missions go."

"Do you think the rookies will all fit in?"

"We're going to have to hope so. We're also going to need to hope that the ROOT members quickly assimilate into society. They'll cause problems otherwise."

"Suppose so," Hanako returns. She glances at the few forms left on her desk to fill out. "Up for a spar?"

"Always," Tsune responds with a laugh, "Especially if it helps someone procrastinate their work."

* * *

 **Sasuke knows now; he knows the truth about the Uchiha massacre, and why Itachi did it. However, it doesn't make him broken. Sasuke will grow stronger from this. Toru, as well as other recruits, pledge themselves to Konoha and ANBU. Toru finally meets his team, and is reunited with an old name. Finally, _finally,_ everything seems alright and the only future ahead appears good. **

* * *

_**I'm starting from the end and I'll move to the beginning. Or maybe like halfway and then to the beginning. ANBU and then to the start with Toru and Sasuke. Mainly as I don't want to start explaining the beginning right now.**_

 _ **Honestly, it's pretty straightforward. And yes, I made everyone up in the team. You guys just have to deal with it. I have reasons for why I made it an all OC team. I would like to develop this world further, but also because I don't want to impact other canon characters just yet. I may have plans that are unknown to both you guys - the readers - and myself, but I would prefer the characters to be in-character rather than have developed as some have so far. Also, Toru is given the Jakkaru mask because it was recommissioned, but also because of the fact he was the one to discover the truth behind Uzushio's fall. All the characters in the team are probably going to seem a bit weird, as they haven't settled into a set personality, and I don't really know how to write them just yet. My characters tend to develop and change without my forethought - normally.**_

 _ **Toru's reaction to the traitor and killing thing is strange, perhaps, to those who don't realise that Toru has made similar orders before, and had probably figured it out beforehand. He has his flaws, yes, but he is intelligent and he had been an ANBU Commander at one point.**_

 _ **Anyways, this chapter ends on a pretty positive note. Everything seems to be going alright! You've got Toru in ANBU, which was what this book was all about, and Danzo is dead and ROOT is actually disbanded. Honestly, Konoha seems to be in great shape - until you realise that there's all the brainwashing to get rid of and that so many ROOT members will need to be given therapy and assimilated into society. Furthermore, there's the notion that no one knows if the ROOT members will betray Konoha. Plus, they've never actually been part of society and have only ever listened to Danzo. Konoha's manpower is going to focus on the ROOT members and watching them - and they'll be constantly watched for years. Many will probably be executed and killed - and probably have already been.**_

 _ **Okay, so now I'm going to go into my thoughts on Sasuke and Toru. First thing I want you to remember is that Toru and Sasuke have often managed to discuss Itachi and have frequently referenced that something wasn't right in Konoha. Furthermore, Toru has been constantly pushing Sasuke away from revenge and hatred. The Sasuke in this series is nothing like canon Sasuke. (Also, I did quite a bit of maths to figure out the income and not and it really wasn't necessary). Sasuke tries to put up a strong front, to hide what he's feeling, because that's something he's basically been conditioned to do as part of the Uchiha Clan. Another point of interest is that Sasuke still cares for Itachi, and some part of him loves Itachi. Yes, they definitely have some issues to sort out, and Sasuke holds some hate and anger for Itachi. But his emotions aren't straightforward and his thoughts are rational. It's inner conflict about how he feels, basically.**_

 _ **It probably wasn't right or fair for Toru to tell Sasuke that Itachi killed the clan as he 'didn't want [Sasuke] to die', because Sasuke may interpret that to mean that it's Sasuke's fault that Itachi killed the clan - which wasn't what Toru was going for at all. However, the closer to something Toru is, the more he knows a person, and the better the relationship - the more his judgement is clouded and the less capable he is of dealing with them in an intelligent and rational manner. Toru isn't good with people he knows. He tries, he tries his damned best, but he's flawed and far from perfect.**_

 _ **Now, Sasuke's response - I'm not the happiest with it, but I doubt I will be able to write better because I haven't gone through anything like this and can only imagine what Sasuke's response could be. Some things you just can't write, and you can just briefly mention them.**_

 _ **Sasuke is strong, though, and he's surprisingly in good mental health for everything that has happened. Yes, this can potentially make him take a turn for a worse, but Sasuke has ambition and determination and stubbornness in spades. If he sees a way to work on fixing something, he'll turn all his attention on that. Sasuke's response is not normal because Sasuke isn't normal and nothing about the situation is normal. However, he reacts well. Whether it's a facade that Toru doesn't see through, doesn't think to see through, or not is something that remains to be seen.**_

 _ **On a side note, I have 3000 words until I make my word count that I wanted, and I have a few other plans left for this book. One of which is an ANBU mission. One of which is... well, stay optimistic folks!**_


	9. Impetus

The day dawns bright and clear. Toru wakes before Sasuke and Naruto, but by the time breakfast has been made and plated, the two Academy students appear sleep, though ready for the day. Thankfully, it's the weekend so no one has to deal with the rush to get ready for the Academy, and Toru leans back, resting against the kitchen benchtop, and watches as Naruto has a rather one-sided conversation involving a lot of arm waving with Sasuke.

"Got any plans for today?" Toru asks softly, before yawning. "Or you just gonna hang around here and bug me?"

"Can you train us today?" Sasuke asks hopefully, dark eyes wide and focussed on Toru. It's the most alert and active Toru has seen Sasuke this morning.

"But what about the others?" Naruto asks, "We said we'd hang out in the park today!"

"I don't remember agreeing to any of this," Sasuke says loftily.

"Teme!" Naruto exclaims.

"Dobe," comes the retort.

"Boys," Toru says warningly. The two subside, Sasuke with a scowl and Naruto with a glare. "I have a training session prescheduled at two this afternoon, and I have a meeting with some of the Clan Heads tonight, but that occurs later at around half past seven."

"Council?" Sasuke interrupts.

"No. You remember how I've been meeting with the Clan Heads of the Inuzuka and Akimichi Clans recently?" Sasuke nods, "It's about that. I've finally managed to establish a plan with them, and the first step is to directly confront the issue as it is a Clan issue. However, if nothing happens or it ends badly, then I'll bring it up in the Clan Council as being detrimental to Konoha. I still can't tell you what it's about, I'm afraid."

"I get that," Sasuke says, over the top of Naruto's drawn out whine. "Clan secrets and all that, right?"

Toru grins proudly at the younger Uchiha. "Indeed. Anyway, when are you meeting with your friends?"

"In about an hour," Naruto says, his loud voice drowning out whatever Sasuke had said – _probably something about how he doesn't have friends,_ Toru muses. Sasuke generally attempts to keep himself distant from his peers, but Toru figures it's because the younger boy doesn't want to lose anyone. It makes sense, but Toru knows that Sasuke is probably forming friendships and is denying it to himself consciously, even if he subconsciously accepts it. Toru wonders if he should be worrying and whether this is something to bring up with Sasuke's therapist – whom he visits once every three months on Toru's demand.

"Right. Are you guys just meeting up to hang out or do you have something to do?" Toru asks, directly his question to Sasuke, as he knows that Naruto will babble about unnecessary things and Sasuke will give him a direct answer.

"We don't have anything to do," Sasuke says sulkily, before perking up, "which is _why_ we can miss it!"

Before Naruto raises his voice to shout at Sasuke, Toru mentions, "So, how about I come with you guys and make it into a training session? Alternatively, we can have a training session with just us three at twelve before lunch As Sasuke got to decide to train, Naruto you get to choose the time."

Naruto chews on his lip, glances sideways at Sasuke, before deciding, "Can you come with us? That way we can have teams and actually have a chance of beating you!"

Toru can already think of games that will work as training – paralysis tag, shinobis and missing-nins, fire floor, sardine tracker, and hunt. "How many of you should I be expecting?"

Naruto screws up his face in thought and starts counting on his fingers, "Me an' Sasuke, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan who's forcing Shikamaru-kun to come, an' then there's Chōji. I think that's all?"

"You forgot that Sakura says she can't come alone, so her aunt's bringing her and two of her cousins. There could be others at the park as well," Sasuke says with a roll of his eyes.

Toru flicks his ear, "Suffixes, Sasuke, are needed so you don't come across as rude. Even in private, you hear me?" Sasuke nods with a half-hearted scowl.

Toru stares at him, "Yes Toru," Sasuke eventually mumbles.

"Good. Now, that's six of you, plus Sakura's cousins. How about we check the Asagiri and see if we can find some other ninjas-in-training to join us?" Asagiri, Toru knows, is bound to have ninja hopefuls. After all, the star-shaped park in the Uchiha Clan Compound is where most Academy students living in the compound meet up due to the main training ground being reconstructed after a jutsu gone wrong from one of the chūnin who lives in the compound.

"But we don't know them!" Naruto points out loudly.

"Yes, but all eight of you against me is pretty easy, isn't it?"

"Toru!" Naruto whines, "That's mean."

"Ninja," comes the proud response. "Now, hurry up you two. We'll go see who else can join us."

* * *

Toru eyes the awkward group before sighing. "We're going to introduce ourselves, alright? I don't care if everybody knows you – they may've forgotten your name. I'll start. My name's Toru Uchiha. Naruto, you go."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I love ramen and I'm going to be Hokage when I'm older!"

"I'm Sakura Haruno and I enjoy reading and learning."

"My name's Takehiko Haruno, and I'm Sakura's cousin."

"I'm Etsuko Haruno and Take-onii's sister!"

"I'm Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura's best friend!"

"Shikamaru Nara."

"My name's Chōji Akimichi, and I like eating."

"I'm Yua Katou."

"I'm Haruto Satou and I enjoy fighting."

"I'm Jūro Nakano, and I'm babysitting my two younger siblings today."

"You're not babysitting us, you're watching _over_ us. They're two entirely different things. I'm Suzume Nakano and younger than Jūro by a year. My little brother is Saburo and he's a year younger than me."

"Sasuke Uchiha," comes the grunt from beside Toru.

Toru claps his hands, "Now that we've all introduced ourselves, I'm going to explain why I invited myself and a few others to this little gathering. I know four of you aren't learning to be a ninja, so we're going to play a game that we can all play."

"What is it?" Naruto asks excitedly, jumping up and down on the spot. "Do we get weapons?"

"No weapons, and we're going to start off with a game called ninjas and missing-nins. Have any of you heard of it? You have, Ino-chan? Do you want to explain it to everyone then?"

"Sure!" Ino says with a wide grin. "There's two groups – one called the ninjas and one called the missing-nins. The ninja group has to catch all of the missing-nins and place them in a pre-decided place called jail. The ninja group wins when all the missing-nins are in the jail. The missing-nins group need to avoid getting caught and can get other people in their group out of jail by tagging them and not getting caught."

"Very good, Ino-chan," Toru compliments. "The jail will be the sandpit. Shikamaru-kun, Ino-chan, Haruto-kun, Jūro-kun, Suzume-chan, Sabura-kun, and myself are all in one team. Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, Yua-chan, Chōji-kun, Takehiko-kun, Sakura-chan, and Etsuko-chan are in the other team. The first group I called will be the shinobis, whilst the second group will be the missing-nin. Is everyone alright with that?"

The group of thirteen kids nod, and Toru grins at them. "Missing-nins, you have two minutes to plan or hide or do whatever. Go!" The group rushes off, Sakura sticking with Sasuke and Naruto, but her cousins sticking to her. Chōji sticks with the five of them, not knowing the other two. As a result, Yua and Etsuko also stick with the group. Hopefully, Sasuke will develop some initiative and give the others a plan. If not, well, Naruto will decide something and Sasuke will refine it. Toru figures that the group will manage something.

Ino quickly takes control over the group classified as the shinobis. "Okay, we should all work in pairs so that we outnumber the others and take down different targets. I'll work with Shikamaru because he's a lazy bum. Suzume-chan can work with Haruto-kun, and Jūro-kun guard the jail, and Toru-san can work with Sabura-kun. Deal?"

Shikamaru sighs, "This is such a drag," he complains, even as he seems to become more alert. "Ino and I'll try to get Naruto-kun quickly, as that'll disrupt all their plans. The next targets to go after are Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun, as they'll be the masterminds behind everything. If we take those three out, the rest will be easy."

"I think that if there are more than three in the jail, a pair should guard the jail instead," Jūro adds.

"How about the guard for the jail swaps every time someone is brought in? That way everyone gets to have a go at catching members from the other team," Toru offers.

"Let's do that!" Suzume says with a wide smile. "Can we start yet?"

Toru tilts his head and casts a glance around the park. "Yeah, their time is up now."

"Let's get 'em!" Sabura shouts, running in the direction of where Sakura's cousins are having an argument. Toru jogs after the other with a shout of encouragement.

He draws equal with Sabura, the ten-year-old sprints even quicker, "Let's get them Toru-san!" He shouts excitedly.

The Harunos finally realise something is up and separate, sprinting in opposite directions. "Let's go after the boy," Toru recommends, guessing that something is up as Etsuko starts climbing the playground equipment. Sabura nods and stumbles as he turns, Toru watches him, but the boy recovers and keeps running.

 _(It's surprisingly easy to let go, for Toru to let himself ignore anything and everything and focus on playing with a group of kids under the guise of training. He's a chūnin, and an ANBU now. He's been a jōnin, an ANBU Commander, an Uzukage. He's been killed and died and almost died and tortured. He's been hurting and hurting, but he's getting better. He's getting better. He died years ago, but it doesn't matter much when he still remembers it all. The Uchiha massacre occurred two years ago, but that doesn't mean Sasuke doesn't have nightmares of it all. They're getting better, both of them, but that doesn't mean they are better.)_

 _(Still, they're here and alive. Sasuke is playing with kids his age. Toru is laughing and smiling and not looking over his shoulder, isn't tensing up. Naruto is running and playing and has friends. Civilians are interacting with clan kids and they're learning and growing. Kids are growing on the street and some of them are even leaving the streets, some of them are learning to thrive with jobs. In the light of all this, Toru can't do anything but accept the truth – everything's fine.)_

* * *

Eruku surveys the group spar going on. She split the ROOT pair up, with one working with Kirin and the other with Jakkaru. She's abstained, thus far, from participating to see the skill level on her team but also how they work together. Strangely enough, the two ROOT members – Ibisu and Kyatapirā is what she really should be calling them – are the ones who appear to be handling their partnerships easy. There's always a minor hesitation to Jakkaru's movements, and he seems to be holding himself back whenever he attacks. Kirin doesn't have the same problem, but she watches her back constantly, not fully working with her partner.

Eruku sighs and flares her chakra, and watches as the spar dissolves in seconds. "Change of plans," she says. "I'll join in. I'll work with Kirin-chūi, and Ibisu-san will work with Kyatapirā-san and Jakkaru-san. Jakkaru-san are you aware that you're constantly hesitating before you attack?"

The masked ninja twitches, "My apologies Taichō," he responds. "I'll pay more attention to my actions now."

"Don't make the same mistake twice," she warns, and then flings herself forward, lashing out with a punch that brushes Kyatapirā's shoulder before the rookie ANBU is shifting fully out of the way. Jakkaru draws further back, and Eruku's features tighten, eyes narrowing, as she realises that the boy isn't helping either of his teammates. Just as she plans on attacking the boy, he finally moves.

Before she even sees him in front of her, there's a fireball, and she steps neatly out of the way in a dodge. "Ibisu swap targets with Kyatapirā," Jakkaru snaps out loudly. The other two rookies don't question their orders, instantly following Jakkaru's words.

Whilst the pair swap targets, Jakkaru drives forward, leading with a punch. Eruku dodges it, only for it to be a feint, and Jakkaru lands a heavy kick to her hip. Eruku shifts with the movement, softening the blow, and moves as Jakkaru tries to get behind her. He darts forward, form blurring even to Eruku's eyes, and then Eruku is leaping up as Ibisu attempts to land a blow to her back. Eruku had forgotten that she isn't alone in this fight.

She can feel where Kirin battles against Kyatapirā, and she tries to get closer to Kirin, only to find Jakkaru blocking her way, already moving with an attack, but easily pulling up when Eruku transitions into an attack, blocking Eruku's blows.

Eruku keeps up with the two rookies, but she's being pushed hard. The pair may be rookies, but they're ANBU material for a reason; they keep her engaged into a taijutsu battle, and she has no way to use their own weaknesses against them when Jakkaru covers Ibisu smoothly and ensures that Ibisu covers him.

She wonders why Jakkaru hadn't done this earlier, because he's working perfectly with his teammates now. She wonders if he had been testing them all earlier, or if something had finally clicked. He moves with more grace now, more like the shinobi who had partaken in the ANBU trials than the chūnin who takes normal missions.

She no longer has time to think as Jakkaru and Ibisu push her. She forces them away, gaining space and takes barely a second to use an earth ninjutsu and hide underground. She can sense the chakras of her attacks above her, but they're already moving, pressing closer to where Kyatapirā and Kirin fight.

Despite not being able to see the fight take place, Eruku senses the steady rhythm of the chakra above her, barely flickering despite the fight that takes place. Eruku isn't the best sensor – she's far from it, actually; however, she's good enough to sense the flickers of chakra that highlight how the person is fighting. Eruku is mildly surprised at how quickly her team has fallen into their positions. The rookies listen to both Eruku and Kirin, whilst Jakkaru leads the other two newbies. Despite Kyatapirā and Ibisu's lack of experience regarding working on a team, the pair have managed to work well with everyone else.

Eruku leaps out of the earth, throwing a brace of kunai at Jakkaru. If Jakkaru is the mastermind directing the two older rookies, then she'll separate him from them to give Kirin the upper hand.

Jakkaru flips out of the way and focusses on her, moving away from Kirin. Eruku makes a note of how easy the young ANBU leaves his original target and follows her – he shouldn't be easily swayed from his fight and taunted away from his target.

A second or so later, Jakkaru pulls back, chakra swelling and intensifying, and Eruku remembers him mentioning something about ninjutsu. Eruku herself knows mainly fire and earth ninjutsu, with a few lightning and wind jutsus. She expects Jakkaru to use primarily fire ninjutsu, since he's an Uchiha, so she prepares to counter with an earth ninjutsu, as it should block the fire and the heat from reaching her.

The younger ANBU whips through a set of seals, and Eruku manages to see bird and tiger, but as the ninjutsu ends on tiger, she assumes that it's a fire ninjutsu and starts going through hand seals. She's almost at the end of the ninjutsu when a hurricane bursts into life, roaring and picking up dust, and then Jakkaru spits a ball of fire into it. Eruku curses and abandons the ninjutsu she had been planning to use, uncertain as to whether it will hold up beneath the might of the fire hurricane.

Eruku leaps up and away, spinning sideways and moving into the tall trees, crouching on one of the taller branches. Realistically, she's sure that Jakkaru can manipulate the jutsu, even if it's to a small degree, but she doubts that he'll start an uncontrolled fire by sending the fire hurricane into the treetops after her. She's proven right when the fire goes out as the hurricane decreases in size at a rapid pace, before it disperses into nothing.

Eruku dives out of the tree, curling up to roll upon landing, before she's up and darting forward. It's now clear to her that her best bet at winning will be to keep close so that Jakkaru can't use his ninjutsu. The new ANBU is already trying to pull back, clearly guessing her plan – correctly too.

When she's only metres away, her subordinate sends a giant fireball her way. Eruku instinctively darts through four hand seals and says quietly, "Earth Release: Mud Wall." She feels the heat as the fireball slams into the wall, the mud baking and turning hard. With a bend of her legs, Eruku jumps up, flipping over the wall and landing on the other side. She twists, searching for her opponent, only to realise that he's somehow disappeared in the seconds he had out of her line of sight.

The hairs on the back of her neck rise and Eruku doesn't hesitate to duck down and wheel around, instincts screaming at her. She takes a split-second to glance where she had previously been standing, sees the three kunais, and then returns fire at the estimated position of the thrower based on the trajectory of the weapons. The shurikens sink into the brown trunk of a tree and nothing else happens. The sound of metal on metal seems overly loud to Eruku's ears and the ANBU hesitates for a moment, before turning around to help Kirin take out one of the rookies.

It turns out to be the right decision, because Jakkaru rises in front of her, henge fading as he stands between her and the other, ongoing fight. Eruku smirks and starts going through a bunch of hand seals – four separate sets. Her chakra is pulled from her quickly, but Eruku knows that she has enough chakra for all of it. She says three of the techniques under her breath, the fourth genjutsu not requiring her to say its name.

Jakkaru dispels the first two quickly, but then Eruku clashes with him, forcing him into a rapid pace taijutsu battle. It's only when she lands a deep cut to his shoulder that he comes out of the third genjutsu. Eruku had expected him to exit the fourth genjutsu at that point, and is glad to see that he doesn't. She subtly manipulates the genjutsu, feeding it a bit more chakra.

The other ANBU stumbles, twisting to avoid something that only he sees. Eruku capsizes on the moment, darting forward once more. She lands two heavy blows, and the other ANBU seems to be realising that something is up. Eruku doesn't give him time to exit the genjutsu, knowing that it requires that Jakkaru pays attention to something other than the fight for a brief second. There's a hiss of pain as Jakkaru does his best to slip around a kunai, only for it to change direction and slice open his thigh. Eruku grins wildly behind her mask, daring the boy to try and beat her. She can sense his chakra flaring wildly, but he still doesn't escape her genjutsu.

Then, as if he had managed to escape the genjutsu, he stops stumbling and tripping over nothing. He doesn't attack, instead simply defending himself, and it's only when Eruku glances at his face that she realises why he seems to be fighting well again – he's closed his eyes so that the genjutsu doesn't show him his surroundings incorrectly. It's a good tactic, but only if he can keep up with her.

Eruku increases her speed, pushing herself to move even faster and attack faster. Soon enough, she's forcing the other ninja back, forcing him to give ground. He's losing and she's winning – they both now it. Something flickers in her peripheral vision, and Eruku's eyes automatically catch the action. Then, there's someone attacking from behind her – one of the other rookies.

She's forced away from Jakkaru and her youngest team member finally exits Eruku's strongest genjutsu. However, instead of going after her again, he heads towards Kirin, apparently deciding to let Ibisu take on Eruku. Ibisu has his tantō out, so Eruku does the same, matching him blow for blow. She judges his skill and pushes him. He's good at kenjutsu, and matches Eruku's skill. However, it doesn't make up for the fact that Eruku uses dirty tricks, and so when Ibisu is trying to deflect one of Eruku's side-cuts, Eruku instead draws back, pulling out two kunais and throwing them at Ibisu. Ibisu grunts loudly as one of the kunai dig into his shoulder. "Yield," Eruku demands, and Ibisu nods after a few seconds of hesitation.

Adrenaline is rushing in Eruku's veins and she easily joins Kirin in her fight, taking Kyatapirā on since Kirin seems to be beating Jakkaru. She's not entirely sure what happens, but between one jutsu and the next, Kirin is beside her and together they defeat Kyatapirā. The moment Eruku's done fighting, she sighs, finally feeling the aches and pains that come from heavy sparring. There's a stinging cut on bicep as well, but it doesn't feel too bad. She turns to face her team.

Jakkaru is holding his green glowing hands over Ibisu's shoulder, and from where she is Eruku can see the injury healing slowly. However, Ibisu's shoulder injury appears to be the only one that needs to be healed. Everyone else has superficial wounds, but nothing that requires attention.

"Jakkaru-san, explain why you were hesitant at the start," Eruku orders.

"I was unsure of the skill level of both my teammate and my opponents. Most of my best skills and are attacks are deadly to those who are unable evade them properly, and hence I kept hesitating as where I would normally attack to kill, here I was attacking in a training spar," Jakkaru says.

"Is that an excuse?" Eruku asks, because she isn't just going to push her team members physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Often, the best ANBU members are those who break as recruits and break again as rookies, those who learn their limits and suppress them and continue on regardless of everything.

"No, Taichō," Jakkaru says with a tilt of his head that makes him seem to be judging Eruku. "I will review my performance and figure what I could've done better."

The response Eruku receives isn't quite what she had been aiming for, but it's a response that highlights the maturity of the rookie and reminds her of an old teammate of hers back when Eruku had been new to the ANBU forces. Said teammate had always told her to review every fight she was ever in and understand what she could've done better and then put it into practise. "Good. Work on your detection of genjutsus as well."

Jakkaru nods, and Eruku turns her attention to Ibisu. "Ibisu-san, you showed some excellent skill regarding kenjutsu, so keep working on that. However, you can't always expect your opponent to play fair, even in a spar. Kyatapirā-san, I didn't face you enough to get a good grasp over your skills. Kirin-chūi, have anything to add?"

"Sure," Kirin responds. "Jakkaru-san, you hurt your own chances in the fight by searching for Ibisu-san upon hearing him in pain. Kyatapirā-san, you were clearly disadvantaged when I initiated a kenjutsu fight. My suggestion would be to work with Ibisu-san on improving your kenjutsu skills. Ibisu-san, you could probably use more genjutsu upon fighting. It would be a good addition to your fighting skills."

"Do you three have anything to tell either Kirin-chūi or myself?" Eruku asks after a few minutes of silence during which none of the rookies respond.

"Taichō," Jakkaru begins, sounding slightly hesitant, "you need to be able to deal with a fire-based ninjutsu. You can't always expect your opponent to want to avoid an uncontrollable fire. Most ninjas who have a fire ninjutsu in their arsenal will have a water ninjutsu as well, allowing them put out any fire they start. Techniques that are a combination of chakra natures are rare, but they're still used."

Ibisu turns to Jakkaru, "You need to be able to draw your weapon whilst fighting, even if you're using ninjutsu. My recommendation would be to be able to make seals with your katana in hands and get used to drawing it and using it in a spar."

"Thank you for deciding to help me," Jakkaru responds, a smirk in his voice and Eruku wants to laugh because he's cleverly trapped his teammate into spending time with him. At least she can be sure that the rookies will get along.

"Good idea," Eruku says, "I'm sure Kyatapirā-san will join you to improve her kenjutsu at the same time." Ibisu shifts, uncomfortable Eruku guesses, but doesn't refuse, so Eruku counts it her win. "The three of you can organise that, but for now you're all dismissed. We will meet every day except for Sunday's at 1400 at HQ. We will not always be sparring, but we will most likely be doing some sort of training. Understood?"

"Hai!"

* * *

Clad in his formal navy blue kimono, complete with the bright red-and-white Uchiha Clan symbol on the back, Toru feels uneasy. It isn't the location, he knows he's safe in the Akimichi owned and run restaurant. At a guess, he would say that it's the clothes that are putting him on edge. He's still unused to them and hates how little defence the kimono offers. It is loose enough that he can wear his ninja gear underneath it; however, to do so would be insulting to those he meets with as it would reveal his belief that he can't trust them. Although, being a ninja does give him some leeway, and he can get away with carrying weapons. Still, the lack of defensive clothing clouds the edges of Toru's mind, and his thoughts circle, instincts on edge. He hopes the meeting goes well.

Not that it is an actual meeting – not an official one, at least. It's taken a week to set everything up – years of researching and knowledge, and then hours of going between clans and debating and arguing and feeling frustrated and angry. It's paid off, though. With some luck – which is something Toru thinks he is really due – he might even be able to win over the problem party.

Toru had been one of the last to arrive, making it on time but not coming as early as some of the other people. Toru had done it on purpose of course, give the others time to settle down and relax. He's sure that once he broaches the reason for why they're all meeting everything will be tense, but it's better if everything starts calmly.

Toru thinks back to when he had first thought about the issue in the safety of his own mind. It had never really crossed his mind previously, and whilst that may be simply because it had always been branded a clan problem, Toru still chastises himself for that. He should never have labelled it a clan problem. It had been, it _is_ inhumane and something along the lines of torture, and yet it has existed for decades without anyone doing a single thing about it.

Toru had only realised something needed to be done after he had been debriefed further on the disbanding of ROOT. He had learnt about the abhorrent seal that ROOT members had to deal with on their tongues that left them unable to communicate what was going on to anyone. It was one of the key reasons why ROOT had managed to operate in full secrecy, because no one could ever betray the organisation. Honestly, Toru's surprised that no Hokage has ever done something about it. Nothing alike this had ever happened in Uzushiogakure, so perhaps Toru isn't in a position to be pointing figures and accusing others of ignoring the problem.

Years of sealing knowledge and research aided Toru in recognising the full extent of the seal and its complete abilities. Thus, Toru had been able to recognise the seal as a seal that basically amounted to slavery once he had started paying attention to the seals around him and figuring out their meanings, rather than simply ignoring them as trivial.

Toru's immediate problem, after figuring out the problem, was that he had no clear paths to go about removing the problem and offering a solution. He have, technically, gone to the clan council, but such things would mean that Toru would be dragging out dark clan secrets into the light, and had a high chance of resulting in a rivalry between clans and Toru really didn't need that. His clan contained two members. Thus, Toru had dived into his clan connections and brought the problem to the attention of his allies.

He had decided against telling the Kurama Clan Head, as the Kurama Clan's only other ally was the Kohaku Clan, and they had no allies except the Kurama Clan. Hence, Toru had gone to his only other ally – the Inuzuka Clan. It had taken three meetings over the course of two days to convince the Inzuka Clan Head that there was a problem that needed to be fixed. The Inuzuka Clan Head had demanded to bring in the Aburame Clan Head and Toru had agreed if the Akichimi Clan Head could learn of the problem as well. Two days later, and another seven hours of meetings, and Toru had managed to convince the Aburame Clan Head and the Akimichi Clan Head that something had to be done. The four of them had debated whether to go to the Nara Clan Head, but had figured that it might be too overbearing with three of the Noble Clans and two from the Allied Trinity.

In the end, the four clans, including the Uchiha Clan, decided to only have them discuss the problem, rather than having other clans. The Inuzuka Clan would act as an ally for the problem clan, with the Uchiha Clan acting as a direct threat. Meanwhile, the Akimichi and Aburame Clans would act as mediators for the discussion.

Toru nods with a smile to the waiter as his plate is taken away. The meal now over, the pleasantries all dealt with; it's now time to move forward and deal with the issue. Toru doesn't bother to wait for someone else to bring up the topic, or approach it nicely. He lifts his gaze and fixes it on the person across from him.

"So, Uchiha-san," the person says before he has a chance to say, "are you finally going to tell me the point of this gathering?"

Toru can almost responds with a rhetoric question that would push the conversation in another direction, _(he would say such things from a position of power, from an Uzukage's seat)_ , but there's no point in doing such things.

 _(Not here, not now, not… anymore.)_

Toru relaxes his posture, letting his hands fall on the table, open and flat with his palms facing up. "I want to talk to you about the cursed seal that majority of the Hyūga Clan have," he says calmly.

Hiashi doesn't quite glower at Toru, but his entire body stiffens almost unperceptively, and he crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. "What does the Uchiha Clan Head have to say regarding clan matters?"

"As long as it impacts Konoha in a negative fashion, it isn't a clan matter. Clan matters are deciding who's the next elder is, deciding whether to buy a new property, deciding whether to release a clan book or scroll or notes. Those are clan matters. Clan matters are no longer clan matters when they can lead to Konoha's downfall and mean that actions are hidden from Konoha's leadership. Your current 'clan matter' allows for treason. It isn't a clan matter," Toru responds.

"There's been no proof or evidence that such things could happen," Hiashi points out, outwardly calm.

The disbandment of the ROOT organisation is known amongst the higher-ups of Konoha who work in the ninja industry. Therefore, Toru is almost fully certain that the other four at the table with him know the recent dissolution of the organisation and the details about it. He figures that they probably helped in the battle to take down ROOT, especially as the Hokage would have those he trusted in the battle. Assumedly, that includes the Clan Heads if they still able to fight and had good chances of survival.

"The secret subsection of ANBU, ROOT, had seals on their tongues that forbid them from communicating in any way about what missions they were tasked with. Over the years they operated, numerous missions were completed that weren't in the best interest of Konoha, and yet no one knew what they were doing, all because of a seal," Toru responds. "Explain to me how the cursed seal that the Hyūga branch house uses isn't the same."

"It's made to protect their eyes, so that if they die no enemies will get a hold of them to use them against Konoha. I don't see how that is anything like what you just told us," Hiashi responds, anger slipping into his tone.

"That's not all the seal does," Toru says.

"And how do you know that? The seal itself is a secret of the Hyūga Clan. Are you admitting to committing crimes against the Hyūga Clan and Konoha as a whole to gain this information?" Hiashi accuses.

"I know fūinjutsu Hyūga-san," Toru responds. "Furthermore, there are records about the seal. It has been in use since before Konoha was founded. In addition to that, if it simply sealed away a Hyūga's eyes upon their death, then it would be on all Hyūga, not just one part of the clan."

"I don't need to listen to these allegations," Hiashi says, lifting his chin. He starts making moves to go, "Tsume-san, I am surprised you are quiet. Do you have nothing to say?"

The Inuzuka Clan Head lifts her hands and shrugs her shoulders, "Hiashi, I was told of this beforehand. The cursed seal is a weapon that can easily be used against Konoha. Are you not worried about someone in the main house using branch members to do their bidding?"

"It's not just the ability of the seal to be used to hide crimes against Konoha either," the Akimichi Clan Head finally says. "It could be used to hide rape or murder. Not to mention, members of the main house can use branch members to hide secrets from you, the Clan Head, as if you do not know to ask, then you won't and thus you will never learn of them."

"The cursed seal is from more archaic times," Toru says pleadingly. "It basically amounts to slavery now. It's inhumane Hyūga-san. The right thing to do would be to remove the seal. Can you not see that?"

"The only thing I can see is how the rest of the Noble Clans wishes harm upon my being. You want the branch members of the clan to uprise. You don't care if one of us dies out on the field and our eyes are taken. Tsume, I thought you were an ally. I now see that I was wrong," Hiashi spits out, angry as he rises from his chair. "Thank you for the meal Akimichi-san, I will take my leave now."

Toru has tried – _he's tried_ – to fight with logic, with cool reasoning, with valid points and evidence and proof, and yet still the Hyūga Clan Head refuses to listen. "My clan was massacred," he says loudly, and the room falls silent. Even Hiashi doesn't make a move to go for the door. "I would not wish that on anyone," he says. "But I don't condone slavery.

"Hyūga-san, I spoke to Tsume-san on what to do because I didn't wish to bring these dark secrets out into the light in front of Hokaga-sama, in front of the councils. We brought Aburame-san and Chōza-san as mediators and because our four clans make up the Noble Clans of Konohagakure. Yes, the Uchiha and Hyūga have had a rivalry that has spanned decades. But my clan is made up of two members, and we are striving to not make the same mistakes of those in the past have made. I don't see any reason why a rivalry should continue. Are we not past such things? And you worry about the branch members turning on you is not quite correct, there is no evidence in history to back up such claims. Slaves who are freed have never turned on those who free them. Do you not want to be remembered for something great? Your name will become a legend amongst your own clan. Have you never wished for change? Your clan structure is stagnant, your growth is stagnant. How many members of your clan have actually made it to the rank of jōnin? Is the number not getting fewer with each year that passes?" Toru finally falls silent.

"If that is all you have to say Uchiha, then I will leave." With that said, Hiashi turns and leaves. Toru sighs and closes his eyes. He wants to curse, loudly.

"I buggered that up, didn't I?" Toru asks.

"Hiashi's always been a bit of a bastard," Tsume responds, but Toru notes her body's unnaturally still. "He'll come around." Beside her, Chōza continues to frown.

"I do not think all hope is lost," the Aburame Clan Head says. "Why? Because he only left once you had finished speaking."

"True," Toru hums. "I suppose that this meeting is now void. I'll wait a day or two and see if anything happens. If not, may I organise another meeting to discuss our next plan."

"Might as well, can't change the fact that I helped ya now," Tsume responds as she pushes back her chair and heads to the exit. "You know where to find me!"

"I will be available," Shibi says, sunglasses flashing in the light.

"I'm sorry it did not go as you had planned," Chōza says once everyone has gone. Toru offers the older man a slim smile.

"The initial plan rarely survives contact with the enemy," Toru says in response. "There are other paths left to travel."

* * *

 **Sasuke and Naruto plan to hang out with their friends, and Sasuke manages to pull Toru into it. The result is a massive game between kids of numerous ages and backgrounds, all playing together and trying to win against the other team. An ANBU team spars and each member learns something new about the others. Their journey has only just begun. Meanwhile, Toru does his best to convince the Hyūga Clan Head, Hiashi, that the cursed seal that the branch members of the Hyūga Clan support should be removed. He isn't successful.**

* * *

 _ **I've officially made it to, and past, the word count of 50,000! I didn't think I would make it, but I did get there! Of course, I did add an extra plot line... or a few extra plot lines... You've seen the start of a new one in this chapter, but I'm not entirely sure the exact length of this plot line. It might go for a chapter, and it might go for less. To be fair, these chapters can cover a few days, and multiple chapters can cover a few weeks.**_

 _ **Yes, I admit to creating multiple characters. I've got five of them. Two are Sakura's cousins because I wanted to develop her family further, also I read a really good book about Sakura when I first started writing this chapter, and her character was developed so well and the world building and I was in awe. Hence, this came about. I'll probably explore Sakura and all of Naruto and Sasuke's friends at a later date, maybe when canon starts, as that'll be when the story will have a focus on them. This book, and Sea Dreams, have a primary focus on Toru and Toru alone. The next book will focus on Toru and a few other key characters. The book after that will split between two point of views and I'm excited... Although, I still have to finish the plot of it. I'm just debating to explore more of the world and up the angst and so forth, or just have a massive battle that will solve all the problems. On the other hand. politics. Nevertheless, none of this is important.**_

 _ **If you want to ask me about the characters, I do have more information on them available for those who are interested!**_

 _ **So that ANBU spar, did it seem unlike Toru for you guys? It didn't for me. Toru, after all, has faced recent betrayals and also his best skills are stealth and infiltration, as well as fuinjutsu and ninjutsu. The fuinjutsu is mainly kept under wraps, because it's a fairly rare skill but also because Toru has no actual reason to know much about it. He often says he knows some things, which he can, if pushed, say is a result of his Uzumaki heritage or his own investigation in the Uchiha Clan library. Toru's ninjutsu tends to be mainly for killing or severely harming someone. Also, he was trying to pay attention to his surroundings, and he was working on a team that he hadn't worked with before. The team's awkward around the edges and not doing great, but they're a good team at heart - well, that's what we all hope for anyway. Toru's, Jakkaru's, initial hesitation was to see the skill of his teammates so he doesn't overestimate them and get them hurt or underestimate them and end up hurt as a result. It's a fine balance and he was trying.**_

 _ **Also in regards to Toru's abilities and his constant problems with trying to overpower others. There's a fine line to walk between powerful and over-powered. I'm desperately trying to keep Toru from being OP, but I'm not sure if I'm succeeding. Toru may have been an ANBU Commander in the past, but he hasn't developed those skills now. He has the intelligence and the experience but not the instincts or all the skills. He's working on it, but he's also got a million and one other things to look at and explore and work on. He'll get there, it just might take a few more years. But he can totally get to that level in a few years - look at what happened in the gap in Naruto. Three years and there was a drastic improvement in almost every character.**_

 _ **Okay, so yeah, Toru totally jinxed himself by saying like everything's chill and it's all good and there are no problems at all. Honestly, you'd think he would know better. This is one of the first problem Toru has encountered. There will be more. I have plans. This book keeps gaining them. It's an accident, I swear. I'll deal out some more sealing information and clan information next chapter, but for now know this - Toru has figured out the real necessity for the Hyuuga's cursed seal; he doesn't like it and approached his allies for help. His allies approached others and then this is the result. Hiashi isn't happy, which is fair. It's like someone coming to us and telling us you have to remove the law that enables you to - I don't know - go to jail or something. Of course, that isn't an apt comparison, but it's the gravity of the situation. We'll be exploring this plot line as a primary plot line for now. The rest of the plot lines will be exploring older things that come back and so forth. I hope you guys will enjoy it!**_


	10. Collision

_**SkullWolfSteam Thank you for picking this up again! I'm currently considering doing a massive update to get this book to where I want it to be - since there's so much I've actually got written for this series (I'm currently writing the 14th chapter in the next book, although I've only published up to chapter four on archive of our own). I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and I look forward to publishing the rest of the chapters for you to read!**_

 _ **ChimamireNoBara22 Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed it. I'm eager to see your thoughts on the rest of the series.**_

* * *

Toru feels weary. The kind that sinks into your bones and settles and never leaves _(it drags him down, pulls on him, anchors his feet to the ground so he can never go anywhere)_. There's no reason for it – nothing that Toru can determine. All he knows is that he feels exhausted. It isn't like he has had any major missions recently. He's pretty certain that he isn't on active mission rosters currently due to his new position as an ANBU member.

 _(And he still isn't over that, isn't over how much things are changing, how much his current life is an echo of his past one. The world has changed drastically, and he has always known the horridness of it, but there are small things that stand out to him, small things that remind him of the goodness, small things that remind him that there are still some things that remain the same. He finds it in smiles exchanged. He finds it in family settling around him, in their warmth and their love. He finds it in a mask familiar but unfamiliar.)_

Toru sighs and gets up. He isn't doing anything – he isn't succeeding or failing at the work he had been trying to complete, but he hadn't really been managing anything. He can barely recall what he had been working on and how important it is. Clearly, it's not overly important if he can only vaguely remember.

Before he leaves the room completely, he glances down at the notes. On the left side is the margin and he's scrawled ideas and doodles, mainly regarding sealing and brief thoughts and notes. Toru reads over the few brief paragraphs on the page – written thoughts and outlines for the program he had spoken to Tsuyoshi about. He has no wish to bring in any ninja problems or clients or help – he wishes to have the program entirely separate from the ninja side of Konoha and focus on the civilian side of Konoha.

Toru runs a hand through his hair. It's starting to get fairly long, dropping past his shoulders. It's different to what he's used to – what he had once been useful. It's good for something to be different, to remind him of who he is now, where he is, what has happened to him. Nonetheless, the length it's getting to could be dangerous. It shouldn't be hard for Toru to tie it up, but he knows that a ponytail won't cut it.

 _(He wonders with a smile if one of the boys knows how to braid hair, maybe he should ask – if only to see their reactions.)_

Regardless of the state of his hair, Toru is itching for something to do. He's been cooped up for too long, and despite wanting to do something _(there's an itch beneath his skin that makes him want to wriggle around, to move, to use up the boundless energy that rests inside of him)_ , he doesn't want to do anything either. He's tired, weary. Logically he knows he could train, he could write up plans and outlines for the possible programs for the Uchiha Clan Compound, he could work on his seals, he could work on his chakra control. He could, he could, he could.

 _(He could do a lot of things.)_

But, in the end, he doesn't want to do any of those. He wants to leave the apartment and its four walls behind. He wants to be able to look up at the sky and smell fresh air, feel an actual breeze, see the sun without being behind a window. He wants to do these things and doesn't want to do anything at all.

 _(What's the point? You left your village behind. Your village fell. You broke your oaths. You sit here and you do nothing. Your village fell and you leave it in rubble, in ruins. You leave the debris and you refuse to return. What's the point in doing anything when you can't even fulfil your own solemn promises?)_

* * *

Sakura is growing – growing into herself, growing into her dreams, growing into her intelligence. She's changing as well – her hair grows longer and for the first time, she wonders if she should cut it. This is proof that she has changed. She knows she will always change, though. People aren't meant to be stagnant, to stay still, to stand stationary.

 _(You don't give a person a definition because that means that they are confined within limits, that they are limited. By giving someone a definition, you imply they won't change, you negate that they can change.)_

Despite all her change and growth, Sakura still remembers – she remembers fighting to enter the Ninja Academy, she remembers fighting every step of the way to be looked at and thought of as more than a civilian. She remembers crying so hard that she got to a point where she couldn't cry anymore. She remembers wanting to give up and just drop out of the Ninja Academy and join a civilian school instead. She remembers being told, those first few years in the Academy, that she would never amount to much.

 _(She doubts that any of her friends have gone through this same feeling – this feeling of just giving up at being a ninja because you can never be more than what you are born into. Her friends have all been born into positions where they will grow into power, into authority – all of them except Naruto. Naruto has never once doubted himself though. Sakura knows that the same way she knows her hair is pink. It's a fact, irrefutable, undeniable – it just is.)_

The thing is that no matter how much time has passed, Sakura still remembers feeling useless, still remembers hiding away to cry because she doesn't want to seem weak, because she doesn't want to prove that everyone is right about her, and that she won't ever amount to much. That's one of the main reason why – when Sakura hears someone sobbing – she goes to the source of the noise.

 _(There are other reasons here as well though. Sakura remembers being bullied and Ino standing in front of her and telling the others off. Sakura remembers Sasuke, begrudgingly, helping her out because she succeeded where he didn't. Sakura remembers Naruto all smiles and laughter being kind to her for no reason at all. Sakura remembers Chōji, kind-hearted and friendly to a fault, extending a hand to her as he sits on the sidelines simply because he can. Sakura remembers Shikamaru, complaints and arguing, but a sharp eye and a sharper tongue, ready to defend any who dare insult his friends. Sakura remembers a family figure who changed both Naruto and Sasuke's lives and doesn't seem to realise how much the pair of boys depend on him. Sakura remembers caring for younger cousins and drying their tears and soothing their fears. Sakura remembers telling them that they can achieve anything they put their minds to. Sakura remembers courage and bravery, but she remembers how hard it was before she really understood what those two words mean.)_

It isn't very hard to find the crying Academy student; there aren't many places to hide and Sakura's a _kunoichi-in-training_. She's getting better at following sounds, although she isn't anywhere near the best, _(but she isn't the worst, and she's getting better – that's the important part here)_.

Sakura sticks close to the wooden walls _(floorboards are less likely to creak if you walk where they have the most support)_ as she walks down the hall, slowly getting closer to an empty classroom that's never used on Wednesdays _(Sakura is getting better at this whole watch-and-retain-information thing as well)_.

She enters the room, easing the door open slowly _(all the doors creak in the Academy; the Headmistress claims that they test the awareness of the future generations of ninjas)_ , and looks around. There's only one person in the room – aside from Sakura. The other student looks around Sakura's age and Sakura thinks she's seen her before. "Are you alright?"

The girl – the _Hyūga heiress_ Sakura quickly realises – wipes away her tears and turn to Sakura. "I- I'm fine," she stutters, eyes focussed on the ground and hands twisting in front of her. "Th- thank you for your concern."

Sakura frowns. She wants to help but if the other girl doesn't let her, then can she help at all? Still, Sakura imagines Naruto in this situation and knows that her friend would act his stubborn self and pester the Hyūga. Sakura can easily imagine that Ino would already know what the problem is and easily assure the Hyūga that she would fix it. Sakura isn't Ino or Naruto, but she can try to help her fellow Academy student in her own way.

"No, you're not," Sakura says, blunt like Sasuke. "But that's alright. You're allowed to not be fine. Why were you crying?" The other girl finally meets Sakura's eyes, before dropping her gaze. She mumbles something beneath her breath too quiet for Sakura to hear. Sakura drifts closer, "What was that you said?"

"I can't do it!" The Hyūga says suddenly, voice loud and sharp. "I'm trying and I'm trying and I'm trying my best, trying as hard as I can. But it isn't enough! I can't do this! I'm not strong enough. _I'll never be enough_." The girl falls into a mess of tears again, and something in Sakura resonates with what the other girl said.

 _(Sakura's a civilian-born kunoichi-in-training. She's been told for years, for the first few years in the Academy, that she would never amount to much, that she would never make it, that she was only setting herself up for an early death.)_

"You can do this," Sakura says fiercely, determinedly, sure of her words. "You'll show all of them. You'll show everyone who ever said otherwise that you _can_ do this. And you will. You will do this." Sakura hesitates, before forging ahead. "Train _with_ me, and we'll get better. We'll beat them all and we can do it together. We're stronger than everyone else thinks and we'll prove them wrong. We'll prove that we are worth something and we will make what we have enough."

"But it isn't enough," the other girl responds, hysteria tinging her voice. "It isn't!"

"We have to make it enough," Sakura replies. "We can't live our lives listening to what everyone else says otherwise we'll never get anything done."

"I'm the future Clan Head. I can't be anything less than perfect," the other girl explains.

"You will never be perfect," Sakura explains, "No one can be perfect. Perfect is something that's unattainable. We're human. We're flawed. We're fallible. No one can expect you to be perfect. And so what if you're future Clan Head? Ino-chan is, Sasuke-kun is, Shikamaru-kun is, and Chōji-kun is, but none of them are going to be perfect. They all have their flaws and own issues and problems. Clan Head is a position that anyone can fill, but there's a lot of problems you inherit with it. It doesn't matter if you're imperfect, it just matters that you try your best and try to do good with the power you obtain from being in such a high position."

The Hyūga wipes her eyes once more. "Do- Do you really th- think so?"

Sakura nods firmly. "I really do," she says. "You can join my friends and me for training if you want. We don't do it all the time, but sometimes Toru-san and Iruka-sensei help out."

"Wou- Would your friends be al- alright with that?" The other girl stammers.

"Definitely!" Sakura says with a smile. "My name's Sakura Haruno."

"I'm Hinata Hyūga. Thank you for your offer, Sakura-san."

"You don't need to be so formal," Sakura says, before grabbing Hinata's hand. "I'll introduce you to the others. They should be waiting at our normal lunch spot! C'mon Hinata-chan."

"C- Coming!"

* * *

"Uchiha-sama!" Toru twists, eyes honing in on the source of the noise. A genin skids to a halt in front of him, hitai-ate still shiny and new.

"Good afternoon," Toru greets, noting how the genin's shoulders are heaving. "I take it you have a message for me?"

The genin nods and straightens up, taking a deep breath, "The Clan Head of the Hyūga Clan, one of Konoha's four Noble Clans, extends an invitation to the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, Toru Uchiha, for tea at 1600, today, at the Clan Head's house within the Hyūga Clan Compound."

"Do you need to take a message back?" Toru asks the genin, already calculating that he has little under an hour to get ready and get to the other clan's compound. It seems that Hiashi is rather petty and annoyed, but willing to continue talking to Toru.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama."

"Very well. The Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's four Noble Clans, Toru Uchiha, willingly accepts the Hyūga Clan Head's invitation to tea within the Hyūga Clan Compound at 1600 on this Wednesday," Toru says carefully, minding his words and the formality of his response. The genin nods and races off.

Toru sighs and leaps onto the roof tops, using only a tiny bit of his chakra to keep him from slipping on the Konoha roofs. He leaps over gaps and quickly makes his way home. He slips onto the balcony and enters the apartment. The silence feels strange – the dogs are the Uchiha Clan Compound so they can spend the day running around. Although, Toru left them in the park, so he doubts they're doing much running around and are instead playing with children for pets and attention.

Toru quickly changes out of most of his ninja gear, dumping his top and pants on top of his bed and changing into his formal Clan Head outfit – a navy blue kimono complete with a light grey obi with the Uchiha Clan symbol bright on his back, over the top of the nagajuban. He washes his face in the bathroom, and pulls his hair into a high ponytail, not knowing what else to do with it. Toru hides three kunais in the hidden pockets inside the kimono, and then slips senbon into the hems of the sleeves and hidden in the obi.

He glances at himself in the mirror and he feels like he's looking at a stranger that only vaguely looks like him. He looks like someone who belongs to nobility, but at the same time definitely doesn't. Black eyes stare at him from an Uchiha's face – all soft lines and delicate features. The kimono gives his body a slim look and the loose sleeves highlight his long limbs and young age. What really looks odd is his dark skin, made lighter against the dark fabric of his kimono, and his reddish-brown hair which is pulled up in a ponytail and ending at the base of his neck.

He looks nothing like a ninja. There's no hidden danger lurking his eyes and he looks so young – he looks like a child playing at being an adult. Toru takes a deep breath, steadying himself, before letting it out with a shudder. He hopes this goes alright, _(this is the first plan, he has backups and backups for those backups, but he hopes this works)_.

Toru leaves the apartment, walking down the streets with the smoothness and grace of a ninja. He keeps his head held high and eyes in front of him, shoulders loose. Nerves bubble in his stomach, weight heavy and uncomfortable. Trying his best not to care, Toru keeps his mind focussed on the task in front of him, _(he is wary of the ambushes that might occur; he is wary for he is entering enemy territory; he is wary because not everything is a physical fight)_.

The Hyūga Clan Compound is impressive, Toru will admit. It seems almost the opposite of the Uchiha Clan Compound – or, at least, its gates do. Toru's clan's compound gates have been constructed to look welcoming, to be opening, to appeal to people and get them to come in. The Hyūga Clan Compound, on the other hand, looks intimidating. The gates are a pale grey with their clan symbol engraved in thick, black lines. The gates are shut, too, which doesn't help its appearance.

Toru continues his way up to the gate, pausing in front of it. The gatehouse protrudes out from the wall, but is still connected to it. A Hyūga opens the window of the gatehouse and scans him over. "Toru Uchiha?" She asks tonelessly.

Toru nods. "Good afternoon," he says.

"Good afternoon," the woman replies after a pause. There's a rumbling sound and one of the gates swings inward. Toru enters, an escort waiting for him – more than likely under the guise of a guide.

"Welcome to the Hyūga Clan Compound, Uchiha-sama. I am to guide you to where our Clan Head waits," the Hyūga says.

"Thank you for having me, Hyūga-san," Toru says. "Please lead the way."

The Clan Head's house is relatively near the entrance of the Compound. At a guess, Toru would say it's in the middle of the compound – which makes sense, as it can be easily accessed from anywhere within the compound.

His escort-guide-escort stops in front of the Clan Head's house. "This is where I leave you," they say.

"Thank you for guiding me here," Toru says. The Hyūga inclines their head and strides off. Toru steps onto the porch, feet light. The wood doesn't creak; Toru finds himself unsurprised. He doubted that the Hyūga would have creaking floorboards. They probably pride themselves on being too good for such a mundane thing.

The door slides open, much more traditional than anything the Uchiha Clan Compound had. Although, that could be due to the upgrades the Uchiha Clan Compound had been going through, both recently and in the past decade, _(it's no wonder doors had been falling apart when they hadn't ever been replaced since they had been built)_.

"Uchiha-sama," the girl in front of him says demurely with a curtesy, _(he guesses she's about fourteen, maybe younger; he wonders why she is here, what message Hiashi is trying to send)_. "Please come in, Hyūga-sama is waiting for you. Tea has already been prepared."

Toru thanks the girl as he follows her in. It's a short walk, a couple of metres down a hallway before swinging left into a room. The girl stops outside the room and slides the door shut behind Toru.

"Greetings Uchiha-san, welcome to my home," Hiashi Hyūga says with a light bow.

Toru echoes the movement. "Thank you for having me, Hyūga-san. It is an honour."

Hiashi pours the tea. Toru watches the steam rise. His host is meant to have a sip of tea before he can. Good etiquette.

 _(Uzushio wasn't as traditionalist as Konoha, not even their major clans. Traditional tea ceremonies and everything was taught, but for missions and important meetings outside of Uzushio.)_

 _(Konoha is more traditionalist, but at the same time Konoha is leaving tradition behind as it moves forward into the future. Only the oldest clans – and the Daimyō – still cling to traditions, but Toru knows that the best way forward is to change. You can't hold on to hundred-year beliefs when today's world is nothing like it had once been.)_

Hiashi lifts a teacup and takes a sip before placing his cup down. Toru does the same, feeling the hot liquid burn down his throat and into his stomach. He meets Hiashi's gaze evenly, trying his best to be steady. He doesn't know what is going to come of this, doesn't know where this is going to go; he doesn't even know what Hiashi wants.

The silence is tense, even if both occupants of the room appear at ease. Toru does not plan to break the silence; he had been called here. There is a reason he is here, and something in Toru knows that he cannot be the one to say damning words here – this is something Hiashi must do.

"You said you know fūinjutsu," Hiashi says calmly, _(false, Toru's mind whispers to him, it's all fake; you have the power here)_ , "is it possible to construct a seal that will protect a person's eyes while they are alive and when they are dead?"

That… isn't what Toru had expected the Hyūga Clan Head to say. He had been expecting something sly and subtle, for Hiashi to try and get Toru to leave his thoughts about the cursed seal behind – or maybe for Hiashi to say he had changed his mind and now agreed with Toru.

Toru pulls himself together and thinks, years of studying and using fūinjutsu coming to the forefront of his mind in seconds. "It's… possible," he says slowly, testing the words out in his mind before he says them. "It's definitely possible, but it would be hard. I could probably design a seal for such a thing, but I'd need to make its purpose more specific. I'd have to do more research perhaps bring in someone else who has more expertise and knowledge in security and ward seals. It would also help if I could view the original seal, there may be components that are helpful in it, even if the seal itself is an abomination."

Hiashi almost hesitates, but Toru sees the weakness and instantly knows that Hiashi _is_ hesitating – even if it doesn't seem like it. "The Elders of the Hyūga Clan are the ones who apply the seal. Others, even the Clan Head, aren't allowed to due to Clan laws and so that a group of people have the knowledge, so if one person dies the knowledge isn't lost."

Toru withholds a sharp breath, watching his breathing and keeping it even, normal. He can't even get his head around the level of power the Elders of the Hyūga Clan must have. From the vague unhappiness Toru can pick up from Hiashi's tone, Toru thinks Hiashi must be aware.

 _(Toru doesn't – didn't – know much about how the Uchiha Clan and their elders worked, but he knew how the Mizushima Clan acted, he knew how those elders had changed because things change as the world changes so that everything remains- fair, equal, but not good because good is a subjective term and depends on perspective.)_

 _(Ninja are too tightly wrapped up and bound by honour and duty and village loyalty to dive into whether they are good or not. They must believe their morals are good and decide that their missions is for good in the name of the village. In the end, all things are relative to the village.)_

"I can probably unlock the seal myself since I'm guessing it has been condensed, but I'll probably need to run some checks first," Toru says. "Do you know if the seal was commissioned or if it was made by a Hyūga?"

"I'm not sure," Hiashi responds, "I would have to check if any records exist amongst the belongings of past Clan Heads."

Toru nods his head, "And to double check, it's alright if I have someone check over the seal once it's created? It's inadvisable to use an untested seal."

"Who is the person you plan on bringing in?" Hiashi interrogates.

"I'd have to ask them before I reveal any names," Toru says levelly, _(because these are his people at risk, and he refuses to betray them even for something small)_. Hiashi nods, and Toru glimpses something tired in the older man's face. "They're trustworthy," Toru says.

"I suppose that is all I can hope for," Hiashi returns, humour slipping through and Toru makes note of that – makes not of the fact that Hiashi Hyūga does have a sense of humour, even if it is hidden. "The major problem – aside from requiring a new seal – is that it is the Elders decision of whether to remove the seal, and the current Elders will not even consider the idea of removing the seal."

"Right," Toru says slowly, word dripping from his mouth. Problems just keep popping up everywhere, don't they? "If the Elders won't listen to you, will they listen to the Hokage's law passed through the council?"

"They would have to."

"You can't go petition to the Hokage yourself as the Elders can then undermine your position and have you removed," Toru says thoughtfully, "and you can't have word getting out that you want this change to occur until the change has occurred and you have the backing of the majority of your clan, no one else can know."

"Indeed," Hiashi murmurs, sounding impressed.

"Very well then," Toru decides. "I will bring up this problem with the council and argue this case for you. In return, I expect an alliance between the Uchiha and the Hyūga Clans, and complete secrecy about who created the seal. I will willing apply it, but no one can know I created it unless such a thing is unavoidable."

"I agree to those terms," Hiashi says. Toru smiles thinly, already knowing that he will be earning the hatred and anger of the Hyūga Clan Elders but knowing it is necessary.

 _(There is such thing as doing good and there is such thing as being a bystander. He has been a bystander before and he has no wish to be one again.)_

* * *

Sora Asano glances at her ANBU teammate, _(chūnin, Uchiha, thirteen years of age, strength is ninjutsu, weakness is genjutsu),_ as he wipes down his sword after the spar. Their training session isn't over and Sora isn't tired – she assumes Souma isn't either – but their other teammate had decided that they were all going to have a break and hadn't given them a choice, _(which made things easier, because it is hard to make a decision when she's been spending her whole life learning to listen to orders, but at the same time she hates it because she wants to be her own person)_.

She can see seals inscribed onto the blade and _(thinks she is meant to ask because engaging in conversations is something she is meant to try)_ wonders _(don't ask other ninjas about their skills unless it is necessary)_ what they mean. Toru catches her eye, gives her a smile _(and how can he smile so easily?)_ , and glances down at the seals on the blade. He rubs his thumb over them. "Absorption Seal and Channelling Seal," the younger boy explains. The other newbie on their ANBU team looks over at those words.

"You did mention you knew some fūinjutsu," Sora says, hoping that it is the right thing to say – the normal thing to say.

Toru hums and nods his head, "I did indeed."

"What do they do?" Souma asks bluntly, and Sora thinks she should frown but twisting her lips feels strange, awkward.

"Well, this seal," he taps the Absorption Seal, "absorbs chakra from an attack, therefore disrupting the jutsu so it doesn't work, and then releases the chakra into the atmosphere normally – in conjunction with the other seal here, it means the other seal is supplied with extra chakra. The Channelling Seal channels the chakra I put into the blade, making the blade sharper and spreads the chakra out evenly to reinforce the blade. It means I don't have to control the chakra I put into the blade. The seal can hold a set amount of chakra which is then used to reinforce the blade."

"Can these seals be applied to any blades?" Souma asks, an odd, unusual inflection in his tone – Sora thinks he is curious or maybe trying to sound curious.

"Only some types of blades," Toru explains. "It was an Uzushiogakure practice. This sword was given to the Uchiha Clan from someone who had once been a part of Uzushiogakure." Sora narrows her eyes at Toru who gives the two ROOT ANBU an odd look. "Do you know much about Uzushiogakure?" He asks, almost timidly.

"Uzushiogakure was once Konoha's ally, but was invaded and fell around two decades ago. The survivors fled with some making a home in Konoha, whilst many wandered the continent instead. There is a barrier that doesn't allow anyone through and no one is capable of bringing the barrier down. None of the Uzushiogakure survivors returned," Sora says promptly.

"That's all true," Toru says, "but you only know the facts. Uzushiogakure existed and then it fell; it was Konoha's ally once. That isn't important in the slightest, not right now and not anymore. Uzushiogakure was home to numerous clans – about eleven clans I believe."

"Is this important?" Souma asks.

"For most people, no," Toru admits, "but for you two I think it is important. Two of the clans that had once lived in Uzushiogakure were the Abe and Asano Clans." Sora blinks in surprise and shares a wide-eyed look with Souma. Neither of them had known this. "The Abe Clan didn't have a kekkei genkai but were known for their ward and security seals, often they had dark grey eyes and green hair. The Asano Clan primarily focussed on earth ninjutsu and taijutsu."

"How do you know this?" Sora demands, because she wants to know more about herself, more about who she is, more about a family she might've-could've had, _(one she lost many years ago)_.

"My father is from Uzushiogakure and was fourteen when it fell. He came to Konoha and made a home here as a shinobi," Toru explains.

"That explains your odd appearance," Souma says, and the topic moves away from Uzushiogakure before Sora can ask any questions, and she doesn't know how to make the topic move back to her clan, _(she has a clan)_. "You don't look like an Uchiha."

"I'm only half Uchiha," Toru says pleasantly. "Shall we continue training? Perhaps we can add in some genjutsus to spice it up. Nothing deadly, but enough to test our skills."

"Alright," Souma agrees, already getting up. Sora casts a look at Toru, wanting to know more but not knowing how to ask.

Toru meets her gaze squarely, "You can ask me questions about Uzushiogakure anytime, it need not be now."

* * *

 **Sakura is her own person and she is growing – but there will always be people who look at her and think civilian-born. She will always remember at one stage people told her she would never survive, never succeed. Hinata Hyūga has often been told she will never be enough, but for the first time she's been told that she might be. Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyūga plans and schemes, with the help of an Uchiha it might all work out.**

* * *

 _ **Okay, so, Toru's tiredness - I think it's a normal kind of thing. Sometimes when things just seem too much or something really big has happened in the past few days and afterwards, you just feel drained. Like nothing's wrong, but nothing's fantastic either. Maybe this isn't normal, but I sometimes get times when I just can't be bothered and I'm feeling so drained and tired. It's times like those when you just don't feel like doing anything or you want to do something but you don't really have the motivation to do it - or maybe you should do it but you don't anyway. Tsuyoshi, by the way, was that civilian kid back when Toru was finding the lost kid in the Uchiha Compound.**_

 _ **Sakura is back! I love her and I am so here for her character development and strong personality and ability to be fantastic. The Sakura here is learning from all her friends and maybe she's shy around some people especially those with big personalities, but around others like here she has a much more fierce personality. With Hinata, Sakura really relates because she's gone through similar things - with people telling her she won't succeed. Hinata has gone under so much pressure and she's exhausted and crying and - honestly - fair enough. Sakura finds her, though, and alike to how Ino latched onto Sakura, Sakura will latch onto Hinata. They may never be best friends, but they will be friends.**_

 _ **Alright, so Hiashi Hyūga. His clan is fucked, he should've done something, but he has his reasons for not doing anything. I'm honestly not going to go much into the conversation between him and Toru, because it's pretty straightforward (although Hiashi's characterisation might be everywhere because he is a tough character to write). I do, however, have somethings to say about kimonos and traditions.**_

 _ **Kimonos - I used wikipedia. A nagajuban is a kimono-shaped robe worn beneath the kimono made to keep the kimono from getting dirty by touching the wearer's skin. With kimonos, I use them rarely because I don't know much about them, but also because of how annoying they would be to fight in. I have them used for formal ceremonies or celebrations. I probably won't use them that much because they are from a culture that I am not a part of and I don't want to fuck something up.**_

 _ **Okay, so, tea ceremonies. These are common between Clan Heads and are generally for one-on-one meetings. The one in this chapter is based off was the ryūrei style one. I used wikipedia.**_

 _ **Bowing! Bowing is a pretty big thing in Japanese culture from what I understand. In this series, I don't use bowing that much simply because I don't want to do something that doesn't work with the culture. However, I've been working on the assumption that in the Narutoverse bowing is generally done to 'bow' down to the influence, strength, power, and/or authority of someone higher up in the hierarchy. It is occassionally done to show great gratitude, and Clan Heads may do it due to formality (which we see here). Ninjas tend to bow to their Hokage, ANBU Commander, sometimes Clan Heads, Daimyo and their advisors, and their ANBU captain to acknowledge that a hierarchy exists.**_

 _ **Traditional sliding doors - they're old fashioned. They were mainly used during the period when the Clan Wars were occurring, and each clan had their own separate territory and compound. Since then, the sliding doors have been becoming less common. This is because sliding doors are weaker and offer less protection than other doors. They also don't do much in terms of locking (using locks to keep people out).**_

 _ **Changing shoes - the inside vs outside shoes. I've mainly based this on the practicality for ninjas. o Generally, due to ninjas, it is common that people don't change shoes. Only civilians in old fashioned places do this. This is because a ninja may suddenly go from being inside to outside without time to change their shoes and must be prepared to be anywhere at any time; hence, they don't change shoes. This caught on and in places where the ninja population was high, civilans generally did the same thing so everyone fit in.**_

 _ **That's about all I mean when I talk about customs or traditions. But, I may add notes on my author's note if I write more.**_

 _ **And then, I just have the trio training because I needed some more words and wanted to have Toru's ANBU team have an appearance.**_


	11. Modicum

_**TigrezzTail Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying this series. I'm going to try and update more often in order to get to the point where I'm actually writing - which is a book away (and I've almost finished that one and will soon move onto the next with any luck). There's a fair bit more written over on AO3, but that's because I started over there and only came here to have another platform to write. ANYWAY, not the point! Yes, the Hyuga seal has some huge issues, and the crimes was something I've always wondered about because it's a slave seal, more or less, which means it can be used for so many nasty things and nothing has been done about it. I really wanted to explore the issue, and so we got this plot line in the book.**_

* * *

Toru feels strange, stepping into the Ninja Academy years after graduating. It's not strange entering the building, after all the Hokage's office is part of the Academy grounds. Still, he never expected to enter the schooling area – not when he had been younger, at least. As he grew older… well, circumstances changed, _(his whole life had changed)_.

He's immediately found by a one-eyed teacher. "Toru Uchiha?" She asks.

Toru offers her a smile, knowing fully that almost everyone knows who he is – he's one of the survivors of the Uchiha Clan massacre, _(and he went missing-missing-missing; PAiN)_. "Good evening," he says in greeting.

"Good evening," the teacher responds, "My name is Kaori Maki, and I take both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun in English."

"Ahh," Toru says in understanding as he follows Kaori into a classroom, before taking a seat opposite her. "How are they both doing and what's the updated course like? Sasuke didn't really bother listening and Naruto's the one who pays less attention generally, so neither of them could tell me."

"Both boys are doing well. Naruto-kun's average in terms of classwork whilst Sasuke-kun is above average, although he isn't at the top. If Sasuke-kun applied himself properly, I have no doubts that he could be at the top of his class. Naruto-kun is where I expect him to be, since his testing showed low skills in terms of reading and writing, although not enough to move him down a grade.

"Currently, in class we're working on verbal reports, which is the second-half of the unit for this year. Earlier this year we worked on map drawing. Naruto-kun was ranked in the middle of the class for that unit, and Sasuke-kun was edging into above average but didn't really put in the work regarding his drawing skills. Nevertheless, his ability to get across information is sufficient."

"Are there any problems I should be aware of?"

"Hmm… Naruto-kun would probably benefit from doing some additional reading to improve his vocabulary and writing, as his sentences could flow smoother. Sasuke-kun appears to understand all the required material and is, at least, willing to help Naruto-kun out. Overall, both students are doing well and I expect them to continue to meet the standard they have already set," Kaori concludes. "If you wait here, the next teacher will be along shortly," she adds with a smile.

"Thank you for your time, Kaori-sensei," Toru responds. "I hope you have a good evening."

"You too."

Toru doesn't have to wait long before the next teacher arrives, walking in with folders in his arms. "Good evening, Uchiha-sama," comes the greeting. "In case you aren't aware, I'm Yūta Yamauchi, and I take Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun in history."

"Good evening, Yūta-sensei," Toru replies. "How are the two going in their studies for history? They're studying the second war, correct?"

"Indeed," Yūta responds. "They're both doing perfectly fine. Sasuke-kun is continuously battling for top position with a few other students, and Naruto-kun is maintaining a perfectly average score, sometimes dropping for a few weeks before his performance improves again. From what I understand, Sasuke-kun largely helps him out when his grades start dropping."

"They've learnt most of this year's information already, right?"

"Yes," Yūta says, before elaborating, "They've learnt about why and how the war started, the major events that occurred during it, the different forces that were involved, and the political state of Konoha and major deaths at the time. All that's left to look at is the civilian aspect of things. There'll be a major focus on the farming industry and how that impacted Konoha, and there'll be a crossover to the politics due to the information regarding the Daimyō."

 _(The war when Uzushio fell, but she fell and she did not die – she is not dead. Uzushio is alive in the beating, pulsing hearts of her people; in the legacies left behind falling on shoulders weary but proud; in the stories and legends left; in the way that it might be forgotten but has existed anyway.)_

Toru tries for a smile, thoughts of Uzushio, his once village, _(his once-upon-a-time, but never his happily-ever-after)_ , "I suppose that'll be where it's the hardest to keep the students attention."

"More than likely," the teacher muses, "but those that who wish to succeed will try their utmost to pay attention. Additionally, there are those who will organise to speak to others and study in their own times. If needed, the students can always reach out – there are other resources out there."

"I'm sure they'll be fine in your capable hands," Toru responds.

Yūta smiles back modestly, "I would hope so," he responds. "Now, I believe there is a teacher waiting nearby to talk to you about someone's current work. It was nice meeting you, Uchiha-sama." Toru leaves the classroom. There are other teachers left to talk to – ten or nine for each kid that Toru is a guardian for. It'll be a long night, and he really wants to rest up tonight what with ANBU training soon, but he's hopeful tonight will only have good messages.

* * *

Toru goes over what he's learnt over the course of the evening – meeting everyone's expectations is Sasuke, sitting at the top of the class or close enough to that rank one position. He's succeeding and constantly pushing himself in his taijutsu classes – both the advanced one and the normal class. The same goes for genjutsu and weaponry, all four of the classes, the advanced and the normal. Although he's succeeding in First Aid and Expectation, there's no expectancy that he'll ever be a spy or infiltrator or medic-nin. In all honesty, Toru had been prepared for such news – Uchiha's with pure lineage are easy to pick out, and Sasuke lacks the temperament and chakra control necessary to be a medic-nin currently.

Naruto, on the other hand, is defying the opinions people held about him. Toru knows Naruto is smart – he's good with people, has that innate understanding about them that is learnt _(because sometimes you need to read people, sometimes it's more important to know if you can dare to go near an area or if it'll just get you killed)_.

 _(You see kids with bad childhoods, with backgrounds you never want to imagine, you meet neglected kids, abused ones, you become friends with those on the streets and think about making the world a better place. You learn more about the terrible things that go on, that go ignored. You learn and you decide to be better, to help, to do something. You refuse to be another bystander. You refuse.)_

Nonetheless, based off his previous record, teachers believed that he wouldn't try to put work in, wouldn't try to do his best. They saw his previous scores and thought that it wasn't worth trying if the student didn't care. It's not that, though; _it isn't._ Naruto's past results had been due to prejudice, corruption. It had been due to a number of results – but give Naruto a chance to try, a chance to succeed, and he will do his best. Toru placed his belief in Naruto, and Naruto made sure that belief was well placed. He still does.

"Utatane-san," Toru says, offering the older woman, older _ninja_ , a smile. "Good evening."

"Good evening, Uchiha-san," the Headmaster of the Ninja Academy responds. "I take it you're here for teacher-guardian meetings?"

"Indeed, I've just finished up now."

"Perhaps, then, you would like to have some tea with me?" Koharu asks, voice mild, and Toru knows better than to trust he, _(he might be safe at home, but that doesn't mean there aren't manipulations going ahead anyway)_.

"I'd enjoy that," Toru replies, because this feels like an overture to something – but he doesn't know what. "How have you been? How's your work regarding the Academy going?"

"I've been well," Koharu says, almost hesitating over her words but not quite – it's a sign that _something_ is there, even if Toru doesn't know what, has no way of actually knowing. "The Academy has been progressing at an amazing rate and there are signs of improvement. The only real problem has been the change in curriculum and introduction of classes that old students must deal with. It's meant more tutoring and some years have extra classes, but that cannot be avoided."

"That's good to hear," Toru replies calmly, knowing that he cannot simply ask Koharu what is wrong, but must wait until she decides to tell him.

Koharu hums in agreement and hands Toru a cup of tea. Toru takes a sip, feeling the hot drink slip down his throat, burning – but it's a comfort; it isn't painful, _(he can feel and that mean he's alive – he's alive)_.

"Many of the plans I've currently got," Koharu begins softly, teacup held daintily in her hands, "are going to be put on hold for some time due to funding cuts."

Toru frowns. "Does this mean that overall fees for students will increase?"

"Yes," Koharu responds. "Naturally, this will put more pressure on students from less wealthy families and I'm expecting more to drop out. This will decrease the output of ninjas further. However, Hokage-sama refuses to do anything about it, citing that it isn't within his jurisdiction."

"And nothing can be done."

"Nothing can be done," Koharu repeats. "Unless there's a way to provide the necessary funding without simply increasing school fees."

Toru hums in thought. "I can't think of anything," he says. "Unless you somehow get people to donate money, but the only ones who have enough to actually cover the increase are the clans and they're not about to handout money if they don't get anything out of it."

Koharu smiles sadly. "I guess Konoha's forces will simply decrease then, if there is nothing we can do about it."

"I'm sorry I can't do more to help," Toru responds, already thinking about the families that live in the Uchiha Clan Compound are can barely pay the lowered rental fees as well as get their kids through school.

"I didn't expect you to be able to provide me with much help," Koharu says. "Nevertheless, it's good to speak to someone about this, even if you are unable to provide any new insight. Who knows, maybe a solution will appear in time."

* * *

Toru slips down a darkened alleyway, dark patchwork jacket with the hood slipped over his face. He slowly walks down the alley, feeling his back bow and head drop down, feeling his posture loosening its hold over his body, feeling himself start to fit into a persona that will be ignored by others. It's easy to make himself appear smaller, to shrink into himself. It's easy to fall into the shadows, make his footsteps whisper-street-quiet.

"Ryuu," a figure hidden in the darkness murmurs, standing up and stepping forward into the little light. "Welcome back."

Toru grins, teeth gleaming against his face concealed in the shadows cast by his hood. "Tomoe," he says in greeting. The girl, eleven-years-old, smiles back, teeth a little crooked and yellowed – but _(this is important)_ , she's smiling. This kid from the street, left to die, ignored by the wealthy, overlooked by the powerful – fate kicked her, cast her aside, and she had been abandoned by all. There had never been a story that wouldn't end with her death – and her death would always be on the streets. Yet here she stands now, a year after she had met Ryuu, and she can smile, she can have hope. The odds are against her, have always been against her, but Ryuu told her she deserved better and she believed him, believed in his words.

"Want the update?" She asks, dark grey eyes piercing, unsettling, but Toru ignores them because it doesn't unsettle him, doesn't even ruffle him. It flows off of him like water running down a wall, smooth and uncaring, calm. He nods.

"Well, there's been an increase in gang crime – not crime in general, but the gangs are getting active. Might be our fault 'cause we've been increasing our own power and strength. Course, that's just gettin' them others frustrated now and many lone criminals are finding it tougher 'cause the gangs are out in force an' they're willing to take their anger out on anyone that crosses them," she pauses, and Toru quickly speaks.

"Is everyone okay?"

Tomoe's face eases, the shadows cast seem less deeper, less harsh; her face appears gentler. "Everyone's fine, Ryuu," she says. "We've kept to the shadows and out of the less busy sections. Plus, the major gangs are the ones who are ignoring us kids and aren't aware of the power or forces we've been amassing."

"Good," Toru says, a stubborn tilt to his head, and Tomoe's blood surges at the sight, hair standing on its ends on her arms. "I'd hate to be forced to demonstrate our strength so early."

Tomoe shivers unconsciously, attention honing in on the fact that Ryuu had said _our_ , that he still refuses to take full-command despite that they will all give him everything if only he asked, _(it is a scary thing, to have people willing to give their lives not because they are trained to, but because they want to and think it is deserved)_. Tomoe smiles again, this time it has a rougher edge, something sharper, more dangerous.

"Ignorin' the rising gang activity, Kakumau has been growing. We've taken in more kids on the streets, helped those who've run from bad homes, and we've managed to convince some orphans it ain't worth it. So, our numbers are growing. Many of the smaller gangs, especially those ignored ones, are under our protection as Kakumau even though no one really knows what Kakumau is. 'Cause we've expanded, we're starting to insert kids into different groups and organisations as well.

"I think there's somethin' like five kids running numbers an' no one thinks they're connected. Somehow, we've got two messengers working with opposing drug cartels. There's one who's running messages for some smuggler group. Another kid got taken into a forgery group the other day and they're now getting trained in regards to documents 'cause they know how to write and read. Then there's a new gang we recently joined with, 'bout five or six members and they work with stolen goods – act as a fence and work with some counterfeit groups. An' a sixteen-year-old just got taken into a protection racket group."

"That's some amazing work, Tomoe," Toru says, congratulating one of the commanders of Kakumau.

"It's partially due to the Uchiha Clan Compound and everything we get from there, and the fact you've managed to get some kids learning. That teachin' and stuff about looking presentable is starting to pick up, even though it'd be more helpful if we had older kids. We don't have many of them," Tomoe says. "An'way, there's a meet being run Kakumau with the leaders of the gangs and all that. You haven't come to one yet, you gonna come to this one?"

"You think they're ready?" Toru asks, the question of _do you think we can trust them_ hidden beneath his words.

"Won't ever know unless you try," Tomoe points out. "If any of 'em do raise a fuss or have some problem, you've got us at your back – an' you've definitely helped some of them as yourself. Right?"

Toru hums, neither denying nor confirming. "Be good to see the others," he eventually murmurs. "Let's move then."

Tomoe nods, and takes a steady step forward _(and it is steady – she is confident where she steps, confident in the one who backs her, in the one who offers a shield and a sword, in the one who believed that they deserved better)_. Toru trails after her, a pace behind her and slightly sideways. Tomoe knows that he's ready to protect her at a moment's notice, but she's also ready to protect him at a moment's notice.

As they get closer to the meeting place, Toru and Tomoe gain shadows on either side, and by the time they reach the location their group has seven members. Already, there are four beings waiting in the shadows beneath their bridge. Toru barely glances at the water, its noise offers ample protection from eavesdroppers.

"Who ya bring, Tomoe?" One person spits out, narrowing his eyes at Tomoe with her six shadows. "Last time ya only had five followers. None of us bring our whole gangs 'ere, what makes ya so bloody different?"

"I'll explain once the others are here," Tomoe responds with a glare. "Just wait a bloody second."

It only took a few minutes more for the other gangs to arrive, and by that time, there are twelve kids, excluding Toru and his commanders of Kakumau. Tomoe glances around before speaking, "This is Ryuu-san," Tomoe says. "He's the one that got us all here, an' he's the one who's responsible for all the help we've been getting. It's all been his idea."

"Why's he only showin' his face now? He ain't even showin' it – what does 'e have to be scared of?" One of the boys speaks out, glowering at Toru.

Toru lifts his head, "You don't need babysitters," he retorts. "'Sides, don't think you all need my help that badly. I'm doin' my best to help you from my side."

"We aren't even aware of ya existence," another kid points out.

Toru smirks, pride forming in his chest. "If you haven't heard of me, then you're not doing very well listening. I've been around for over a year, just ask over at Blossom. Tomoe can prove that I've been here all along, same goes for Hikaru, Masuyo, Raiden, Rena, and Kira. Just 'cause you haven't seen me, doesn't mean I haven't been here."

"He's the one we went to about the disappearing kids," Hikaru murmurs. "Didn't catch anyone, but he checked it out. He's the one who supplies all the resources and makes sure we know what's going on."

"Where's he been the rest of the years we've been strugglin' out here then?" One of the older gang leader says.

"Struggling to survive," Toru says in reply, words heavy on his tongue and for all that they sound like a lie, they are not, _(and that hurts)_.

Tomoe makes a gesture with her arm and the group falls silent. "Ryuu-san, ya got something interestin' for us?"

Toru smirks, "I've been thinkin' that it's probably time you all start gainin' some attention. Be careful about it, but feel free to expand your territory, feel free to claim more. We've got your backs out there. Work together 'cause that's what's gonna bring the other gangs down. If anyone gets injured or dies, alert one of us and Kakumau will take revenge for what's been done to our own."

The gang leaders all watch Toru carefully, and then they exchange grins and smirks. These kids are hard because they have to be, they're dangerous because there's nothing else they can be, they're alive because they're all fighters. Maybe they all have a different image of Ryuu, have a different opinion of him, don't trust him – but he's made a promise to them, and something about him makes them believe he'll keep it.

One of the gang leaders leans in, "We're in," she says.

* * *

"Hey, Uchiha-sama!" Toru comes to a halt, twisting to see who had called him. He'd been about to leave Shūsanki Square behind and delve further into the Uchiha Clan Compound to discuss something with someone.

"Good morning, Matsushita-san," Toru says. The older man smiles at him. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you knew anyone, still young, who was in need of a job and willing to travel. My wife and I are getting older and it's getting hard to keep making the trips by ourselves without anyone helping us," Hachiro Matsushita, travelling fabric merchant, explains.

Toru frowns in thought, but his mind is already thinking of street kids and how much this could help them. "How many helpers are you looking for, and around what age? Also, do you mind if they need teaching about a lot of different things?"

Hachiro narrows his eyes but shakes his head. "Two would be the maximum amount of helpers, and anyone over the age of twelve would be good, and no, we don't mind."

"I know two kids, they're nice kids but in a terrible living situation and it'd do them some good to get around," Toru says.

"I'd like to meet them first," Hachiro says.

"Very well, I'll talk to them first and see if they're open to the option, and then I'll organise a meeting. When do you next head off?"

"In a week's time."

Toru nods, "I'll do my best to get everything sorted by then."

"Thank you, Uchiha-sama."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Jakkaru leaps up, body twisting as he tries his best to avoid a fire ninjutsu. The heat races around his body, but he just manages to avoid getting singed. He bares his teeth at his opponent, landing on the ground in a crouch. He springs backward to avoid a kick, flipping sideways seconds later to avoid the follow-up punch.

There's a sound from behind him, and he triggers a body flicker, forcing himself to move quickly out of the way. Kirin doesn't pause, shifting to continue attacking him, joining forces with Eruku.

 _(Where are his teammates? His teammates – where are they? Have they left? Is he alone? No… He ordered them to leave. They're gone because he ordered them. He can't have them die here with him. He will die but they will live. He must fight-fight-fight. His teammates are safe but he still must fight-)_

A growl sticks in his throat and in his chest something grows, hard and sharp and it suffocates his lungs with thorny vines. Jakkaru can do little beneath the might of the older ANBU members. Still, he digs his heels in and refuses to go down, refuses to bow his head, _(refuses to die again)_. He pushes back, trying to get space, trying to do anything that will give him some chance at winning.

Beneath his mask, Jakkaru bares his teeth, full of fight but unable to do anything – unable to admit defeat and unable to win. The fight is a stalemate, and the only way there will be a winner is when Jakkaru finally collapses. And then-

And then-

 _(Kyatapirā struggles and struggles within the confines of the ground. She is new to the notion of teammates and caring for one's team – but she will try. She will do her best. She can see Jakkaru fighting and fighting and he refuses to give in, to give up, and it is admirable even as it is pitiable because there is no way he can win. Still, for that belief Kyatapirā will try to escape, try to aid him.)_

 _(Kyatapirā cannot know that sometimes you must fight because it is all you are, it is all you have left.)_

 _(Ibisu goes about this smartly. He can see Jakkaru fighting, trying to complete a mission that he should not be able to, not without aid of some sort. Ibisu could provide that aid, if he is able to get himself free. Kirin had managed to tie him up in a way that left him unable to move without cutting his arms open. Ninja wire – useful against one's enemies, but frustrating when used against you. Ibisu looks around and sees Kyatapirā struggling, trying to escape even if it's futile. Ibisu does not understand her fully, unable to comprehend how easily she changes from who she had been to the person she is now. However, this is Ibisu's team – and that means he should push himself for them. That is what being a team means, correct?)_

 _(Ibisu grimaces as ninja wire digs into his forearms, cutting deep, but then he has a kunai in hand and he is slashing what binds him. It takes barely ten seconds to help Kyatapirā and then-)_

 _(And then.)_

Kyatapirā presses forward, pushing Eruku away from Jakkaru without hesitation, capitalising on the other's surprise and refusing to falter or give Eruku any leeway. Simultaneously, Ibisu strikes out at Kirin, engaging the other ANBU in a kenjutsu battle and giving Jakkaru some time to recuperate and recover.

Jakkaru pants, chest heaving, but it is filled with something light – he hadn't expected his teammates, _(had forgotten where he is, what battle he's fighting in),_ but they had come. Jakkaru sucks in another breath and glances where his teammates are keeping the others at bay and then leaps forward, hands flipping through hand seals at a rapid pace.

"Fall back!" The youngest member of the ANBU team calls. His teammates retreat whilst their opponents take the moment of respite to attempt to hide. "Fire Release: Fire Whirlwind!"

Fire erupts around Jakkaru, before spiralling towards Eruku and Kirin. Eruku leaps into the air and triggers a body replacement, whilst Kirin seems to panic momentarily as the fire comes closer. Jakkaru realises that Kirin isn't about to move and grits his teeth, chakra surging as he corrupts his own jutsu and tears it to pieces. The fire flares outwards, splitting into tendrils that fade in seconds. Jakkaru's legs waver, and he finds himself shaking from the sudden loss of chakra. He grits his teeth and waits it out, feeling the weakness in his muscles but willing to continue fighting.

"Halt!" Eruku commands and Jakkaru looks around. Ibisu and Kyatapirā flank him, ready to protect him in his weakened state, and Kirin is slightly singed but looks ready to continue fighting. "Kirin-chūi, are you okay?"

"Frustrated at myself, but absolutely fine," Kirin reports. "I had no way to escape that and I paused. My mistake."

"Don't let it happen again," Eruku says. "In the field, you will generally have backup, but in a situation like that in a spar, your teammates assume you will be able to avoid that. You can always use an earth ninjutsu to go underground. Jakkaru-san, good job with avoiding Kirin and sabotaging your own jutsu but control your chakra better when doing it. Ibisu-san, congratulations on escaping to help Jakkaru-san, but make sure you care for yourself as well; however, good thinking on helping Kyatapirā-san out. Kyatapirā-san, I'm glad to see you continued to try and help your teammate, but you will need to figure out a method that will let you escape a jutsu like that for out in the field. Overall, though, good work team."

"Thanks Taichō," Jakkaru responds, stretching his limbs out and trying to shake the trembling from his body. He glances around at his team, "I actually had a question about fire ninjutsu."

"I have little knowledge regarding fire ninjutsu," Ibisu reports.

"Same goes for me, I'm afraid," Kyatapirā says.

"What's your question, Jakkaru-san?" Kirin asks. "I might not be able to help, but I can try."

Jakkaru feels his body language shift subtly, awareness decreasing and the battle-ready state of mind slipping away. "Through using fire chakra, it's possible to increase or decrease your own body temperature. Also, it's possible to corrupt someone else's jutsu if you use an overwhelming amount of chakra and their control over the jutsu isn't superb – so, hypothetically, would you be able to- I mean, is it possible to change someone else's body temperature through a chakra… infusion, I guess?"

"Huh," Kirin says thoughtfully, "I never even thought about something like that. Do you normally think up jutsu ideas?"

Jakkaru-Toru-Jakkaru gives a hesitant nod. "Occasionally, I enjoy exploring chakra theory especially in relation to ninjutsu or fūinjutsu. However, there's nothing in the Uchiha Clan library or the Konoha library that mentioned anything along those lines."

"On a theoretical level," Eruku starts slowly, "it should be possible. There are such things as chakra transfusions, although such occurrences are rare due to the usual side effects. However, this would require the second person to be unaware of the chakra infiltrating their system. That would require a small, diluted amount of chakra and you'd have to target tenketsu to actually have the chakra enter that person's chakra system. The chakra control needed for a task… And you'd need to figure out how much chakra is necessary to raise the temperature the right amount. Also, you don't know how long it will take for their temperature to change to whatever temperature you want it to be."

"If you do go about inventing such a jutsu, you're going to have to figure out how you can test it as well," Kirin says warningly.

Jakkaru-Toru hums. "Yeah, I'd probably look into getting better chakra control first."

"Good luck with that," Eruku says. "If you manage to get the jutsu working, let us know. It'd be a good assassination jutsu." Jakkaru nods as their team heads back to their headquarters.

* * *

Toru hesitates as he passes the building, Sasuke pauses beside him, and even Naruto falls quiet. Toru exchanges a glance with Sasuke. Neither of them have actually been in the building since it had been built and everything put up. Interestingly enough, it's Naruto who pulls them in, grabbing Sasuke and Toru's hand and tugging them inside. When they get inside, Naruto drops their hands, uncertain and unsure.

Toru has to swallow something in his throat, pain heavy in his heart, splintering in his chest and lodging deep within his lungs. He looks around the memorial. The roof is decorated with skylights, and the light falls, illuminating the room. The walls have pictures, names beneath them. It's one gigantic room, but it's set up like a maze, with walls – that don't reach the roof – adorned with names and pictures as well, occasionally there's a journal or a notebook.

Slowly, Toru walks to the middle of the room, and there's a small garden-bed in the middle. The flowers are growing well, Toru is pleased to note, and the tree in the centre looks strong.

Sasuke leans into Toru, and Toru drapes an arm over the younger boy's shoulder, pulling him in. He does the same to Naruto on his other side. It's hard, being in the memorial, because he had known these people, not all of them, but some of them.

"The people who live here mourn as well," Sasuke murmurs, and Toru knows he's looking at the flowers left along the benches surrounding the small garden bed, knows he's seeing the messages left not by Sasuke or Toru, but by others who want to show they also care.

"Yeah," Toru says, and maybe it's terrible and maybe he's a horrible person, but it feels nice to know that Sasuke and he aren't the only mourning, grieving ones that remember the Uchiha clan. He sighs, "C'mon, we've got a meeting to go to."

Sasuke hums but he turns around and stalks out, hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders up to his ears. Naruto races after him, a small smile forming on his face. Their guardian follows after them, lips curling upwards because even in a place of mourning, even in a location where a clan was massacred, there can still be happiness, still be laughter.

From the Uchiha Memorial, it only takes a few minutes of brisk walking to reach the training ground where Toru plans to meet the others. There are people at the training ground already, four of them – not a huge number, but that's what Toru wants. It's better to start small, see if his idea works, before doing anything else.

Hidden in the shadows, Haruto finally lifts his head, eyes perking as he looks at Toru. The eldest Uchiha whistles softly and Haruto bounds up before sitting at Toru's side. "You all know what you're here for," Toru says, "but just as a recap – I want to re-establish a police force of some kind within this compound. I want this to be done by civilians rather than ninjas, and for aid, I want you guys to work with a dog. I figured it would be helpful because the dog can track people or missing objects as well as break up fights. I don't know how well it'll work out, but I know the four dogs I own have gotten pretty good at listening to my commands and responding. I can only imagine that they'd be a huge help within Konoha if the need ever arose.

"Amachi's Refuge has supplied us with four different dogs, which Amachi-san has kindly brought down, and we're going to see how it works out. I can't be here every day, but I expect you four to be here and on the days I'm not here, you'll have someone from the training clinic come down. Now, moving onto who you'll be partnered with.

"Tsuyoshi-san, you've been partnered with Takahiro here. He's ten months old and a cotsui herder," Toru says. The seventeen-year-old comes forward and stops in front of the puppy. Takahiro immediately tugs at his leash, jumping up to lick Tsuyoshi's face. Tsuyoshi smiles and strokes the puppy's head. He takes the leash when offered but seems to be paying attention to little else.

"Kohaku-san, you've been partnered with Riku. He's a guard shepherd like Ken and about two-years-old. He's had training but we're not entirely sure what training he's undergone. You'll have to find out for yourself. Worse comes to worst, he can be retrained hopefully." Kohaku Yamamoto, twenty-six, steps forward and takes the leash. Riku remains sitting unlike Takahiro, but sniffs Kohaku's hand when she offers it.

"Ren-san, this is Shinju. She's only one, but we have no idea of her breed. We reckon she's a mix of numerous different breeds, but she's got the intelligence and structure that would make a good police dog. She, at the very least, knows few commands, but we're not entirely sure if that's all she knows." The black dog tries to jump up on Ren Yoshido, twenty-two, but heels when told off. Ren takes the leash and squats down in front of the dog, Toru leaves them to it.

"Sora-san, this guy here is three-years-old. We believe he's a cross between a guard shepherd and a cotsui herder. His name is Tamotsu and he knows quite a few commands and probably like Ken and was used mainly as a guard dog of a property," Toru says. Sora Ueno, roommate to Ren and also twenty-two, walks up to the dog, who sniffs his hand when offered.

"That makes things easier then," Sora murmurs quietly.

"Yes, but doesn't necessarily make things easy," Toru responds with a quick smile. He whistles loudly, "Alright, listen up everyone! Remember, you can't treat these dogs as pets. They're working animals and can't afford to get lazy. For today's session, you're simply going to work with your dog and see what commands they know. If you have any questions, I'll be here with Haruto."

* * *

"You better look after these kids, Ryuu," Tomoko, leader of the Jingai gang, growls at the younger kid who's been taking the streets by storm for almost a year with his little commanders at his side. "I don't care if you helped 'em out in the streets, you better make sure they're alright from 'ere on out."

"Of course, Tomoko," Ryuu responds calmly. "It's their choice."

"Not much of a choice," Tomoko scoffs, eyeing two of her gang members who stand beside her, nervous and fidgeting.

"No," Ryuu says, and his voice is soft, sad – Tomoko hates it. She isn't here for pity, doesn't want it. She doesn't need Ryuu and his changes, his views, his opinions. She'd prefer if he butted out of everything that didn't include him. He clearly didn't live on the streets anyway. What kind of trustworthiness did he have?

Tomoko glares at him, crossing her arms. She's twenty-two and been on the streets since she was ten. She hopes that by handing over these two kids it'll help them, and it better, or otherwise it'll be Tomoko and Jingai taking down everyone else rather than Ryuu and his Kakumau or whatever he's taken to calling everything.

 _(She won't be used. Not again, not anymore – never.)_

Tomoko glances at spiteful Shun, the kid's a spitfire and got a mouth on him, but he's good. He's been on the streets for three months, kicked out of his home for daring to a monster he called his father. Tomoko doesn't know too much, doesn't think she needs to, but she knows enough to understand that Shun's home life hadn't been good. The kid had then spent a week on the weeks before he'd been apparently found by Ryuu, almost dead, and taken to a shelter and somehow Jingai had been contacted and Tomoko had taken the thirteen-year-old under her protection. Shun looks nervous, but he seems to trust Ryuu – dumb, in Tomoko's mind, but this isn't about her anyway _(it's about giving these kids a better life, something Tomoko never had, and she'll try but if this backfires her rage and vengeance will know no end – Ryuu better run and hide then 'cause Tomoko will never give up)_.

Sakurako is half hidden in Shun's shadow, shrinking in on herself despite the fact she's taller. Sakurako never would have survived on the streets without help, and when she had shown up half-beaten, some broken wreck of a human, in Tomoko's territory, Tomoko had claimed her, kept her from some of the adult gangs who thought they could simply use children 'cause they didn't matter and no one cared.

 _(Tomoko wants to curse them all, wants to bite them, fight them, but she can do very little if she wants to survive and keep the rest of Jingai safe.)_

Ryuu had been the one who had taken Sakurako, stolen her from another gang, and kept the gang off Sakurako's tail. For that reason, Tomoko believes that when Ryuu says he can help someone out, she'll believe it. Still, she's not happy with letting her two gang members out of her sight, out of her territory, out of the village they're all chained in.

 _(She hopes they get the chance to become a part of society, get the chance to fly, to live – she hopes they find somewhere safe, find someone to trust. She hopes they never have to worry about food ever again. She hopes they'll never be forced back into the streets, because they won't survive.)_

"Don't lose it," Tomoko says at the two younger children, looks at Ryuu once, before slipping sideways into the shadows and leaving them all behind. She has others to protect and a job to do and a harsh world to survive. She doesn't have time to say goodbyes.

 _(There's no point in goodbyes anymore, she has learnt this lesson well.)_

* * *

"If either of you feels uncomfortable or want to leave, you know the signal," Toru says quietly to his two companions as they approach the designated meeting place. Sakurako nods shyly.

"Not gonna do that," Shun responds, all confidence and bravado hiding the kid underneath. Toru isn't surprised, so he just hums and waves at Hachiro Matsushita and his wife.

Both of the adults smile, greetings are quickly exchanged and introductions made. Toru watches in amusement as Shun pulls all the attention onto himself, allowing Sakurako to breath without anxiety. Toru's certain that the boy is doing it on purpose, looking out for Sakurako, _(when you have allies, you stick with them, and they stick with you, when you have no power, sometimes you have allies instead)_.

Hachiro lets his wife talk to the two children, and quietly speaks to Toru. "You say these kids had tough childhoods, right?"

"Give them a childhood," Toru advises, "It would be kinder."

Hachiro looks at the pair of children, sees the way Shun's attention is half on Hachiro and half on the world around him, sees how Sakurako shrinks in on herself, hides from everything. "I don't know what you're up to, but I hope I'm somehow helping."

"You are," Toru promises, "but be kind with them, gentle, patient. They're good kids though, and they deserve so much better than what they have."

* * *

 **Teacher meetings occur and sometimes there are no solutions. The expansion of Kakumau continues and more gangs become part of it and under their protection. Toru's ANBU team continues to train, always learning more about each other and themselves, learning how to come together, learning teamwork. The Uchiha Memorial makes an appearance and a police partnership program starts up. Meanwhile, Toru does his best to continue helping those on the streets and give them opportunities for a better life.**

* * *

 _ **(Lol, I can't believe this chapter was finished in June)**_

 _ **Okay, so I was initially planning to explore all the classes and what happened in them, but then I realised the way teacher-parent/guardian meetings would occur for the Ninja Academy would be really awkward considering that you don't want other people knowing how a student's going and everything. Anyway, I got bored of writing all of it out and figured out that I'd just show a bit of it. Also, the cuts to the Academy funding is just the start of one of my newer plans. You'll see it come to fruition shortly, I'm sure.**_

 _ **The stuff with the gangs - that's just me exploring the growth of Kakumau and also Toru's own street reputation as Ryuu. If you have any questions about the gangs mentioned or any of the names of them or just anything, feel free to ask!**_

 _ **The training with my favourite (wait, no, I take that back, it's like my second favourite or third favourite - I do have a lot of love for Jakkaru's old Uzushio team) ANBU team! Jakkaru gets slightly confused between what battle he's fighting, because he's alone and the odds are against him - he switches between Uzushio's last fight and the spar he's actually in. I also really like exploring the ex-ROOT members and their development as people.**_

 _ **The dogs and the four people - it's the start of a police program where people are partnered with dogs. It's currently just training, but it'll eventually expand until it's a program that solely exists within the Uchiha Clan Compound. Honestly, it's Toru's idea to help people. Guard shepherds are german shepherds by the way, and cotsui herders are dutch shepherds.**_

 _ **And then, Toru's helping get kids off the streets and getting them into jobs. Also, he's expanding his network out of Konoha.**_

 _ **Overall, this chapter was mainly just a filler, with nothing really happening. To be honest, that's probably what the rest of this book is going to be - a lot of fillers and finishing of plot points. There's nothing major really happening, it's just tying up loose events and all that.**_


	12. Jejune

_**TigerzzTail**_

 _ **You know, you can probably thank yourself for me deciding to give updates every day until I reach the point that I'm where I want to be with this series (or maybe twice a week? I haven't figured it out yet, but faster updates is the point here). I will be honest, it's a bit difficult to keep everything straight, but it definitely helps that I've got a ton of plot notes and make sure I cross everything off so that there aren't any loose ends! Honestly, Current Strength has the most side plots currently - out of the three I've written, so it was the one that ended up having the most loose ends tied up. I'm glad tha it's working so far! Thank you for your kind words. ^_^ The ROOT members development will be fun and you'll get to see some more of that, especially in the last chapter. I'm glad to haer you enjoyed. Enjoy this chapter as well!**_

* * *

It's sometime after six, and the sky – previously lit with soft pinks, warm oranges, and other hues of dusk – has finally darkened. The stars twinkle overhead, constellations bright. It's a clear night, a quiet one too; and it is this quiet the fills Toru, filling him with something like peace.

The Uchiha hums lightly as he walks through the Uchiha Clan Compound, not focussing too much on where he's going. When he had left the apartment behind, after being stuck inside long enough that an itch had taken place underneath his skin, he hadn't really had any ideas on where to go. It had – and it always will be, for Toru – an easy choice to walk through the Uchiha Clan Compound, _(it will always be an easy decision for there is life and laughter; here, there is love and family, and how can not want that?)._

For a shinobi _(Clan Head, chūnin, ANBU, jōnin, ANBU Commander, Uzukage),_ the hour isn't late at all, but for civilians, many are now heading home. Thus, when Toru sees an eleven-year-old all by herself, he walks towards her.

He realises, with surprise, that it is Yua Katou – a student from the Ninja Academy. He knows her family in the vague way he knows everyone who lives in the Compound – knows them, but not very well.

He sits down next to her, taking in the tear tracks on her face in one quick glance. He doesn't speak; he has a feeling that Yua will tell him what the problem is. Children – usually civilian children – he has learnt over time, are willing to share their secrets, their worries, their fears. Often, all they need is a willing ear, a kind companion, and all their woes burst out.

In this case, he hasn't misjudged, and it only takes a few minutes of stretched silence before Yua finally caves. "I want to be a ninja," Yua says, mouth downturned in a pout, yet her eyes glare ahead into the distance. "I want to be a kunoichi; I want to be more than Kaa-chan. I want to be _more_." Her voice cracks on the last word, and the brunette turns away from Toru, hiding her voice.

Whilst he cannot say he understands the desperate wish to be more, Toru can understand it. He has been fortunate to be born into good families. He has always had a position. Although he may have made something from nothing, he had never been in a position where he has had to make himself from nothing.

"I don't understand why I can't be," Yua divulges, voice dropping down to a whisper. "Rio wants to be as well, but Kaa-san said no. I get that it's not cheap. I get we have no money. But I thought I would manage and then…" Yua scowls, anger straightening her spine, "Kaa-san pulled me from the Academy."

Yua comes from a rather large family, but despite this, her mother cares for her deeply – just like she cares for all her children. Ergo, Toru assumes that Yuzuki Katou had a reason for removing Yua from Ninja Academy. Yua mentioned costs, and from that Toru can make an educated guess that it's Yua's schooling costs that are the problem.

From what he can recall about the family, Yuzuki is a dressmaker and her husband is a merchant who's constantly travelling. There's three children in total, and Yua's the eldest. The middle child, the only boy, is younger than her by two years and travels with their father. Their younger sister is Rio and is learning Yuzuki's trade.

Toru thinks, although he is unsure, that the trio live with one set of grandparents, Yuzuki's mother, and Yuzuki's aunt and uncle who have two children. None of their grandparents work, and between Yuzuki, her sister, and her sister's husband, they run their own dressmaking business. The business earns little, and the fabrics have to be bought in Konoha, which imports most of their fabrics, meaning that they're often expensive. Furthermore, despite the quality of the dresses, the small dressmaking business is competing against manufacturers who can buy in bulk and have cheaper prices, meaning they have to lower their own prices.

All in all, it's more than likely that Yua had been pulled from the Ninja Academy due to money issues. There's very little Toru can do; the Katou family is much too proud to accept any charity money and it isn't like Toru can simply fund their children through school.

Frowning, Toru glances at Yua, eyes looking at the discontented face of an eleven-year-old who knows very well how unfair the world can be. And yet, the world had been worse, only fifty or so years ago. It's better now, _(and he has to believe that, because to believe otherwise means that the world has only gotten worse, and Toru refuses to accept that)_.

Thinking of Konoha's beginnings, though, remembering the difficulties that had been encountered during Konoha's beginnings, Toru wonders if there is something he could do to help…

"Yua-chan," Toru begins, "I make no promises, but I may be able to help you get back into the Ninja Academy, possibly Rio as well."

"Really?" Yua asks, a smile chasing the shadows from her face, forehead smoothing out. "Could you actually?"

"I can try," Toru swears, "but I can't do anything else."

"Better than nothing," Yua says cheerfully, standing up and grabbing Toru's hand. "C'mon! You can speak to Kaa-san now!"

"I don't think this is a reasonable tim–"

"It's always a good time to talk Kaa-san out of doing something dumb," Yua informs Toru gravely, even as she keeps tugging the older boy so that he follows her.

Upon reaching the door, Yua knocks loudly, and the door is opened by her mother, hair out of place and furrows on her forehead out of stress. "Yua!" Yuzuki says loudly, drawing her eldest child into a hug. "Don't leave without telling me where you're going, you hear me young lady? I'm meant to be raising children, not young hooligans! I had no idea where you were – and it's dark outside!"

"Kaa-san!" Yua whines.

"Don't give me that," Yuzuki snaps back, before sighing. "I was worried, Yua. Now, Uchiha-sama, thank you for finding Yua and delivering her back here. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"The situation with the Ninja Academy," Toru responds slowly, "I wanted your opinion on something."

"Yua, go have dinner," Yuzuki orders.

"But Kaa-sa–"

"Now," Yuzuki says and, stamping her feet, Yua heads inside. Yuzuki fixes her gaze on the young boy in front of her. "Explain to me your reason for getting Yua's hopes up. I don't want to disappoint that girl any more than I already have."

"In the early years after Konoha's founding," Toru begins, "it was quickly realised that the only ninjas within Konoha's forces were those from clans. This was learnt to be due to the fact that the Ninja Academy had been far too expensive from those who didn't belong a clan since they didn't have the money that the clans had amassed over time. As a result, the Academy introduced a way to fund those from non-clan backgrounds. Clans were able to 'back' the child in question, meaning that that child was funded by the clan and in return, they couldn't be taught anything by their families and were essentially adopted into the clan. Furthermore, it meant that the clan paid for weapons and so forth."

"I assume that such a thing fell out of practise?"

Toru nods, "It did, sometime during the Second War, as banks allowed civilians to save more than they had previously been saving. And in times of wars, conscription put many non-clan children from orphanages and the like through the Academy until such time they dropped out or managed to get through."

"I take it you wish to create something alike to this?" Yuzuki asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Something similar, but not exactly like it – more based on it, than anything else." Toru, catching Yuzuki's irritation as the furrows in her forehead deepen, hastens to explain, "The Uchiha Clan would pay for a child to go through the Ninja Academy. However, due to the finances, the child in question would probably be stuck with hand-me-down weapons and clothing, but repairs would be offered when needed without question. That all said, I wasn't thinking the Uchiha Clan would control such a fund – too much power, and so forth, not to mention the social and political factors involved in such a thing.

"It would act like a charity, with the Uchiha Clan starting it off with a deposit, and would be open to donations from the public in order to provide the necessary funding. Eventually, it would be expected that the child would finish their schooling and slowly deposit money into the fund based on how much was used to put them through school – without interest, naturally." Toru falls silent, having said everything he could think to say, everything he had already thought of over time, that he had discussed with Iruka.

"Who would this so-called charity be open to?" Yuzuki asks, and even with all his skills, Toru is hard pressed to know what her thoughts are.

"Currently?" Toru questions, and Yuzuki nods in a singular sharp motion. Running a hand through his hair, Toru runs the logistics of the idea of the fund through his mind. "I'd probably set the fund up for those who live within the Uchiha Clan Compound. After seeing if it works at all and is in any way useful, I'd open it up to the rest of Konoha.

"The fund couldn't be limited to just those within families unable to pay, either," Toru adds. "Currently, the laws in Konoha state that children who are part of an orphanage have to go through some kind of schooling or apprenticeship. Those who did so, mainly those who are put through the Ninja Academy, have to pay the government back with interested based on their school fees and weapons used. Plus, although not so much in recent times since the Academy underwent a massive reconstruction in both building structure and schooling structure, as those children are unable to afford weapons, clothing, and textbooks, they would be presented with everything second-hand, often in bad shape without the ability or change to get anything better.

"If the fund could be opened to these children, all school, textbook, weapon, and clothing fees would be paid for. In return, the fund would be willing to way years to be paid by overtime – and such a thing could be done through payments over time."

"How would you know, though, that the child needs funding and that the family isn't simply trying to make things easier for them?"

"There would need to be proof that the family is struggling and cannot afford to send their child through school without suffering themselves or going into debt," Toru answers.

"Huh," Yuzuki responds thoughtfully. Something chases a half-frown across the woman's face, and she sighs. "You open this to those within the Uchiha Clan Compound because you are aware we struggle simply by living here."

Offering a half shrug, Toru clarifies, "It's cheap to live here because of what happened, no one would actually want to unless they have to, even with the prestige that would come from living in a compound owned by a ninja clan. The reputation that followed the Uchiha name at the time would always mean no one would willing want to live here."

Yuzuki tilts her head in acknowledgement. "I cannot give you an answer right now," she says decisively. "I will, however, eventually respond, but for now…"

"I understand," Toru says, soft smile on his face. "Do you think that anyone would accept their child being backed by the fund?"

"I think that it will be invaluable, but only once someone has seen its value," Yuzuki says slowly. "Someone will likely take you up on your offer within the boundaries of the compound, as it would make life easier for one's family. Moreover, we all trust you. We would not still be here otherwise. We came here expecting to be exploited, not – well – looked after. You are more than you think, Uchiha-sama."

Ducking his head, Toru finds himself at a loss to respond. "Thank you," he settles on. "I'll leave you to get back to your family now."

"And I imagine yours is missing you," Yuzuki replies with a smile. "Good bye, Uchiha-sama."

Toru nods, turning to leave, but just before he does, Yuzuki asks, "What would you call the fund?"

"Survivor's Fund."

* * *

Desperately trying not to rub his eyes in sheer disbelief, Toru fixes his gaze on the Hyūga in front of him. "There are no records of the seal," he states flatly.

"Correct," Hiashi replies, "However, one of the branch house members have agreed to let you look at their seal."

Stiffening, Toru swallows, "If the seal has certain components, it may cause damage to the person the seal is on."

"And sometimes injuries are unavoidable," Hiashi returns. "In order to heal, the poison must first be burned out, the wound cauterised."

Resting his hands on his knees, Toru nods. "Let's see this seal then." Hiashi opens a side door, and an old Hyūga shuffles in, casting a glance at Hiashi before turning to look at Toru.

"So you are the one our esteemed Clan Head has decided ill destroy the cursed seals they have placed on us, enslaved us by. You may be young, but am I expected to believe that you are not going to exploit us, too?"

"Tamiko!" Hiashi hisses, glaring at the woman.

"I speak the truth," the old woman snarls back. "Uchiha-sama, what say you?"

Meeting the woman's – Tamiko's – gaze evenly, Toru replies, "I don't know what I can tell you that will convince you otherwise. I can only try to show you through my own actions. At this current moment in time, I need only your cooperation, and I am willing to explain everything before I do it, even if you do not understand sealing and have no reason to believe I tell the truth."

"Shinobi," Tamiko says spitefully. "We will play this your way. After all, I have no choice in the matter. Decisions, choices, I know what neither of them are."

"And you should," Toru says, before catching himself. He shouldn't have said such a thing, but he meets Hiashi's eyes before switching his gaze to Tamiko. "You should get to decide, and that is why I am here."

Tamiko sits before him, "Let us see how this goes then." She removes the bandages that hide her forehead, and Toru finally sees the seal he has heard about.

A frown pulls at his lips, forehead scrunching, and he traces the seal with his eyes before cursing. "I am going to place another seal on top of this one to unlock this seal so I can see the full version. Is that alright with you, Hyūga-san?"

"Do it."

"Thank you," Toru replies, even as he prepares his ink and brushes. He selects one of his thinner brushes, and in light brush strokes, draws out the Two Locks Seal, before channelling chakra into it. The base seal appears as two triangles overlapping, with the characters for _arawaeru_ written in the middle. Tamiko stiffens, before relaxing, and the cursed seal of the Hyūga Clan appears, forced by the base seal to appear, separating the layers.

Toru quickly sketches out the seal as he sees it, not trying to understand any of it, simply recording it as swiftly as he can without jeopardising his lines. Once he's done, he removes the Two Locks Seal from Tamiko and doesn't bother watching as the cursed seal fades.

The seal is vaguely familiar, _(familiar in the way that all seals are familiar, in the way that sometimes Toru can taste sea-salt in the breeze, familiar like how being a shinobi is familiar; familiar because Uzushio is familiar)_. In another life, _(one with friends and family and laughter and love, when even the darkness of the ninja world couldn't attach itself to all aspects of his life),_ he had seen a seal with components similar to the one he has just now sketched out.

The Hyūga Clan Head had told Toru what the seal's purpose had been – it protected the Hyūga's kekkei genkai and allowed the main branch to cause pain to those who belonged to the side branch. All this, though, Toru had already known.

"Hyūga-sama, can you compare the area around the cursed seal and my forehead? Look at the chakra paths, please," Toru says, frowning as he looks down the seal.

There's a few moments of silence before Hiashi says, "There are miniscule chakra pathways in her eyes, which you do not have. Moreover, the chakra pathways in her forehead extend back into her head while yours tend to move around the brain instead."

"That makes sense," Toru mutters. "Hyūga-san, you do not have to answer, but may I ask you a few questions?" Tamiko nods. "If you had to describe the pain caused by the seal, how would you explain it?"

"It's like lightning coursing through your body due to a lightning ninjutsu, but it originates in my head before going through the rest of my body," Tamiko says after hesitating. "But it is much stronger than any lightning ninjutsu I have had to feel."

Toru continues to dissect the seal, making notes next to different components and lines, locating limiters, spokes, identifiers, interlockers, base seals, and adjoining links. The seal appears to be made up of two different components with three different layers.

The base layer is the one that protects the eyes, and appears to be created off a normal Storage Seal. Connecting it to the second layer is the key and chain interlocker, although not in any way that the interlocker is usually used. Instead of acting as a failsafe if something happens that the seal isn't designed for, it actually alerts the rest of the seal if there is no chakra in the body, and then uses stored chakra to seal the eyes in the base layer. The second layer simply holds the store chakra in question, and is linked to the third layer with a simple cross-joined interlocker.

Whilst the first two layers come together to form the protection component of the seal, the third layer forms the nastiest bit of the seal – the slavery component. Thankfully, neither in this life nor in his last life did Toru ever see in a slavery seal on something. However, the Mizushima Clan had a book written from the era of the Clan Wars, and in it included one of the major slavery seals.

"At a guess, I would say this seal was made around the time of the Clan Wars," Toru starts, "based on the third layer of the seal, which is what makes up the slavery component. This seal was created by the… Hamasaki Clan. The Hamasaki Clan were pirates and were major participates in the slave trade before the hidden villages were founded. It's believed that the Mizushima Clan wiped them out, removing any knowledge of the slavery seal. I'm guessing the seal is placed on the person at a young age?"

Hiashi nods. Chewing his lip, Toru forces his mind back to what he had learnt about the Hamasaki's seal. He hadn't really paid much attention, assuming that he would never need to know how to undo slavery seals because it wouldn't be a problem, since the clan had been wiped out and the slave trade had been destroyed.

Relooking at the seal, Toru tries to understand the trigger part of the seal – trying to figure out how it works. Deciding to ignore it, and maybe figure it out later, the Uchiha turns his attention to the third layer as a whole, identifying what it does.

"At a guess, just from looking at this," Toru explains, "I'd say that the third layer actually contorts the chakra pathways nearby as well as creating ones that go into the brain. The trigger grabs hold of the chakra within the body, feeds it through an elemental identifier that converts it to lightning, and sends it through the created chakra pathways into the brain. Ignoring the trauma that the chakra pathways would cause simply by existing in the brain, there's the trauma that would exist around the chakra pathways caused by the lightning. I'm worried that removing the seal for those who are older would result in those chakra pathways collapsing, and while a person can recover from such a thing, it would take longer. Medical jutsu would help, but I doubt there are any in Konoha who can work with something as small and significant as brain pathways."

"So, you can only help children?" Tamiko asks.

"No. Those under the age of twenty-five – or maybe it's twenty-one? I'm not sure – can have the seal removed completely as their brains are more elastic at such an age. For everyone older, I'd create a seal that suppresses the previous one, one that cannot easily be removed. The seal I'd create to ensure only the person in question can use their eyes can be applied on anyone, since it won't in any way interact with the brain," Toru answers.

"How long do you think it will take to construct both seals?" Hiashi asks.

"The suppression one shouldn't take me too long, as I'll be able to base it off different seals since it won't be the first time something like this is created. Honestly, I can probably simply create a fourth layer that makes the other layers void. The other seal will take more time, since nothing like it has really been created. I'll probably have to make it work off clan-specific chakra, with stored chakra, and it can't work off anything else but your clan chakra. Honestly, there are so many different variables to cover that I would have to work differently than the current seal, rather than preparing for the numerous different scenarios when an eye could be taken, I'd work on what would happen if chakra other than your clan chakra went through the eye. That said, it'd have to ignore chakra that healed so that would mean I'd be taking into account intention."

Toru frowns, "Give me a week, and I can give you a better timeframe. I'll need to check over books and discuss ideas with someone I know, as if I have to put an untested seal on someone, I want to ensure that it won't harm the person it's on."

"Very well," Hiashi says decisively. "Thank you for your help thus far, Uchiha-sama, Tamiko-san."

* * *

Toru pauses in the doorway of the apartment. The wards in the back of his head are silent, humming as they always do, but there is – without a doubt – someone cooking in the kitchen; and last Toru checked, neither Sasuke nor Naruto can cook.

There's a huff from inside, and something in Toru relaxes, _(because home is safe, will be safe, and those who are in it are safe)_. "Hey, Iruka," the Uchiha calls out. He pauses, realising something, "Since when did you have keys to get in?" Toru's pretty sure Sasuke and Naruto are still at the Academy, considering they tend to study with a bunch of their friends after class. It's probably Naruto who made such a thing happen, but Sasuke seems to be starting to consider the others friends now. He wonders what they're doing right now, if they're actually doing work.

"I asked Naruto," Iruka responds just as Toru enters the kitchen, taking a seat at the counter. "It's been a while since we met up, after all."

"It has," Toru agrees, tilting his head as he scans Iruka, who's facing away from him. Despite his slow, graceful movements, the older chūnin appears harried. Although he can't put his finger on what, Toru knows something is wrong. "You didn't have to cook, though," he points out, deciding to wait for Iruka to explain if he wants to.

"I was popping in unannounced, I couldn't do nothing," Iruka says, twisting around, ignoring the food that's cooking on the stovetop. "I hope you don't mind having a curry."

"Not in the slightest," Toru assures the other ninja. "I can't cook very well, so much of the food we eat is basic or takeaway. I'm sure the boys will appreciate having something different. What kind of curry is it?"

"It's a chicken one, I learnt the recipe from one of the western towns in Hi no Kuni," Iruka explains. "I haven't had it for a while, as despite having a craving for it, I haven't had enough time to cook it. Plus, I don't particularly want to be eating curry for days, and I can't cook it just for one person."

"Well, I'm sure my stomach will thank you," Toru says with teasing smile. He watches Iruka who offers a grin in exchange, but Toru can see the exhaustion that lines the other man's face. That said, he doubts Iruka will take kindly to Toru asking after his health. They're both ninja, and they've been brought up in a world where the mentality is that one should be able to look after themselves and not be a weakness, _(and this, Toru knows, is toxic; but that doesn't mean he doesn't go along with it – he knows it's toxic, but he still somehow believes it, and that is what makes it a problem)_.

"Nonetheless, you're allowed to come over any time," Toru points out. "At this point, you've looked after Naruto and Sasuke enough when I'm gone on missions that you could be considered a close friend, at the very least."

Iruka hums in response, turning around and setting the stovetop to simmer, "That can stay like that until Naruto and Sasuke come home."

"Sounds like a plan," Toru responds, before pausing and searching for words, because it's clear that Iruka isn't going to carry on the conversation, and Toru always struggles when there isn't a clear topic to talk about. He glances at the clock, "They should be back soon," he says. "It's almost six-thirty, and they don't usually stay out past six, so they're probably on their way back now."

"Aren't you worried about them this late at night?" Iruka asks, and Toru chuckles in response.

"Nah, they're two Academy students who do well in class, plus they've got some of the dogs with them," Toru responds. "They don't walk through isolated areas either, and they both know how to flare their chakra." He casts a sly glance at Iruka, "You worried for them?"

"What? No," Iruka says, flushing. Toru laughs, eyes lighting up. "Jerk," Iruka mutters with a roll of his eyes.

Toru's laughter dies down, and takes the amiable mood with it. Meeting Iruka's eyes evenly, Toru finally asks, "Did you want to talk about something or do you want a distraction?"

 _(He had thought about this, debated whether he should outright ask Iruka or if he should just ignore it. Toru knows a thing or two about not feeling okay, about wondering whether to reach out not, of hanging out with friends, but deciding to ignore his own feelings, forever wondering if there was something wrong with him, forever wondering if he could've felt better afterwards.)_

Iruka visibly hesitates, and even with everything going on, Toru but can't help but appreciate that Iruka is willing to let down his guard in the apartment. Offering a shrug, Toru adds, "You don't have to, but I thought I'd offer anyway."

"I… I came here after all," Iruka replies, and it seems like he's saying nothing, but Toru knows.

 _(When you don't feel quite right, you reach out to those your trust. When your instincts are going haywire or maybe something in your brain isn't quite fitting together, you go somewhere safe. Iruka says 'I came here', and although the statement could be brushed off, it isn't. Iruka says he came here, and that means here is trusted, here is safe. It means everything in a world where trust shouldn't exist anymore, but continues to do so anyway.)_

"It's not really anything major," _(and it isn't, because major is fatal illnesses and dying, battles and wars, injuries and torture; this is nothing like any of that)_ Iruka finally says, after they've sat down on the couch, Toru a comforting _(warm)_ weight on one side. Clicking his tongue, Iruka tries to force his thoughts to form something cohesive. He's a teacher; he's better than this. And yet, here he sits, struggling to put words to something unimportant in every way. "It was a bad night's sleep," he eventually settles on, _(it's all he can say, because nothing can really describe the unsettled feeling in his chest, the want to run and run and run until all his muscles are burning, and then run some more so he just stops thinking; he's reliving memories and old forgotten nightmares, and he doesn't understand; he had beaten them, once)_.

Toru hums, but doesn't say anything, and Iruka had – kind of – expected him to say something, chastise him for being weak. He should know better, he thinks wryly to himself, Toru never has been one for expectations. Swallowing, Iruka wonders if he's meant to keep talking, and debates whether it'll help remove the terrible thing in his chest that presses down _(and down and down and down)_.

"It's silly," Iruka says decisively, _(because this, he knows is true, even if nothing else he has said to Toru this evening is. This is.)_.

"It's not," Toru replies, chakra-fast, words falling from his lips before Iruka can even continue. He says it like it's a fact, like he can't believe anything else. He says it without giving Iruka room to think elsewhere, and once again Iruka is lost to his thoughts, everything in his chest too much and too little at the same time. "It's not," Toru repeats, like he's trying to drive the message into Iruka's head. There's something behind the words, some emotion, some knowledge that Iruka knows not. He wonders, but he doesn't ask. He has a feeling that story is for Toru only.

Still, something in Iruka doubts, and it doubts loudly enough for a broken laugh to shudder its way out of Iruka's mouth. "Is it not?" He asks, cruelness and something else sharp in his mouth, because he is a ninja too _(despite everything, he is a ninja, and this is meaningful)_.

"Of course not," Toru responds, determination clear in his voice, and he barrels forward, no longer waiting for Iruka to respond in any way or form. "We experience things and they… they, ah, fuck us over because we don't just put trauma behind us. Our experiences shape us, makes us, and trauma's a part of that. We're gonna have fears and the like, and they're going to influence us – maybe positively, maybe negatively, maybe neither; we just don't know and have no way of knowing." Toru levels his dark gaze on Iruka, who meets his eyes momentarily, before letting his gaze drop to the floor. "You wouldn't call my fears of losing my pointless silly," he adds, "give yourself that same courtesy."

"It just makes no sense," Iruka bursts out, snarl hidden from his face, stuck in his throat, because he doesn't want to take it out on his friend, but he wants to let it out regardless of who feels it. "It was ages ago. It shouldn't affect me anymore."

"We don't get to depict what happens in our lives, in our heads," comes the Uchiha's response. "It's not about what we live and how long ago. It's about how we felt. Trauma is gonna wake us up with fear fresh in our minds, because we remember. And sometimes that's a curse." He falls silent, and Iruka suddenly remembers who he's talking to, what the kid's been through, _(and he forgets, sometimes, often, that Toru is a kid, because despite his strength of mind and strength of body, he's still young; he's in a powerful position, but he's years younger than Iruka both in terms of mission experience and general life experience)._

"I don't mean to–"

"You're not," Toru says, cutting him off, "making light of my own fears and trauma, that is. You're making light of your own. You see yourself one way, Iruka, but the world sees you in many different ways. Cut yourself some slack. The world already hates on us enough, you don't need to add to it."

 _(An untold story lurks beneath his words, and Iruka can feel it, but at the same time his instincts tell him to leave it, because somethings aren't meant to be shared.)_

"I- I…" He trails off, unsure of what to say, unsure of what he can say. He wants to agree with Toru, but he doesn't agree, and he doesn't want to lie _(he does that enough already)._

Offering him a kind smile, and leaning further against him, Toru says, "It's okay," he murmurs quietly. "You'll get passed this and you'll be stronger than ever." The words sound like a promise, a solemn oath that only two people will ever hear. It sounds strong because Toru sounds like he believes it wholeheartedly, like he somehow expects Iruka to be better, to be more, like he thinks Iruka is somehow good. Iruka may seem good, but he's taken actions he's never been proud of, he's been in dark places he never wishes to traverse again. Toru knows nothing of that, but he can probably take a good guess.

 _(And yet, he says anyway, with conviction, that Iruka will break free of the shackles that currently constrain him, that Iruka will somehow be stronger than before, that Iruka will somehow manage to beat the demons he can never seem to beat no matter how long or hard he tries.)_

 _(Maybe, one day, Iruka will even believe him.)_

Unable to speak, wishing to tell no lies, Iruka sighs, and leans against his friend. The apartment is quiet, but it doesn't feel lonely in any way.

* * *

 **Everything may be alright in Toru's life right now, but that doesn't mean everyone else's lives are going well. Toru wants to help, reach out, but sometimes people don't want help. The Hyūga Clan has reached out, and now everyone waits for the outcome. The question in Toru's mind is loud – will he be able to do what he has promised, or will he ultimately fail? Iruka, too, has his own problems to deal with, because life is never easy if you're a ninja.**

* * *

 _ **Honestly, this chapter took me a while, both because lack of time and a focus on one of my other stories for the past month. However, with that writing frenzy over, I'm moving my attention onto this story and hoping to get some chapters done before October. I think I'll be alright with any luck though, so currently my writing schedule of updating once a month (usually on the tenth) will keep going. I don't know what next year will hold, though.**_

 _ **So, Yua, I've been playing around with this idea of creating a fund - but I don't want it to be about pity. I want it to be about helping trying to create something better for them, about helping them because they're human and everyone is deserving of help. Yua is a child, but she has the potential to be so much more. It's unfair, because the world isn't fair, since she wants to be a kunoichi, but things don't always go your way and Yua knows this. Toru is privileged, but many of those he knows aren't. It's going to be hard to toe the line of showing that privilege and so forth, but I want to try. I also got to do some world building, which is always fun.**_

 _ **(I'm not sure about the name, but I couldn't - and still can't - think of anything better.)**_

 _ **I got to talk sealing! Sealing is a lot of fun, although it's hard to explain from a perspective where the sealing knowledge is already known, so it's not so much trying to understand it but applying it. I'm willing to explain the seals in better detail to anyone interested or confused, I know it's hard to get your head around, especially when you don't have the information I do. I could make a separate book to include all the knowledge and worldbuilding I've created, if anyone wants?**_

 _ **Okay, so Iruka is literally just not feeling particularly happy or content because he had a series of nightmares the previous night and just wasn't able to think. The bad feelings followed him into daylight, and he's just - he doesn't know what to do because he thinks it's dumb and pointless, and there had been no trigger (that he can think of) for the nightmares and old traumatic memories. Although I haven't experienced PTSD myself, I know that this can be a symptom of PTSD and that's one of the main reasons why I'm using it, because this is important and shouldn't be brushed aside. PTSD exists and it's terrible and horrible, and there are people who live with it and they are so, so strong. If any of you reading this have PTSD or some other mental illness, remember that this isn't your fault and that you are all strong, no matter what you feel. You guys are amazing and if you ever need someone to speak to, I'm here.**_

 _ **All in all, I don't have much to say about this chapter, because it wasn't really a plot-filled chapter, it's just everything moving forward, and that's probably what the rest of the book will be.**_


	13. Sedulous

**_Updates? Again? Wow! This is, once again, because I've decided to push my update schedule to daily as I endeavour to get this series to where I want it to be rather than a book behind._**

 ** _TigerzzTail - Okay, here's my answer to your review, and thank you so much for that! I love it when I get a notification that there's been a review. Makes me feel so excited to see what it says. I also really enjoy exploring the little hidden truths and the whole society thing! It's really interesting and I have so much to say about the whole society and how it shapes those in it (I did an interesting little analysis of why Gaara is like he is and the hidden village's role in creating a militaristic society that doesn't view killing as evil most of the time, although that was simply because I was speaking with someone and Gaara came out). Anyway, point is that there's so much to explore in regards to the impact of the society and the characters, and you could ask me something and I'd love to write out a whole explanation for it all. ANYWAY, that's not quite what I was meaning to say in response to your review; so, continuing onwards. We definitely tend to avoid seeing everything going around that doesn't impact us, which fair enough. We're selfish creatures who want to look out for our own survivals first (most of the time - not always and not for everyone; I'm being bad and generalising here). I absolutely love using Toru to explore the changes that could be enacted in the society he lives in. There's so much to explore and many things I also want to change, as well. You definitely see that kind of thing in this book and the next. The social and societal changes that heavily impact those minorities and downtrodden groups is incrediable and especially in regards to how much changes and how their lives change (Tomoe with her street kids). I've loved exploring what would happen if someone just stood up and said, 'no; this isn't right'. And while it's largelt because I feel unable to help and do anything, it's also because there's so much wrong in this universe and in canon, and if I can fix a few things. Well, I might as well do it._**

 ** _Enjoy this chapter._**

* * *

"A new jutsu?" Shou echoes, voice just shy of surprised.

"Are you honestly surprised?" Kiku responds with a roll of her eyes. "You've met him. It's not like this is the first time he's wanted to create a new jutsu either."

"Okay, true," Shou says, "but I thought that was a one off! I wasn– This isn– Most ninjas don't go around creating new jutsus in their lives!"

"You know your life would be more boring without us," Toru says, "but more importantly, I asked you guys for help, not for your astonishment and whatever."

Kiku slings her arm around Toru's shoulders, "Aww, but Toru, we're just so proud of our ickle, little teammate!" Toru shoves her sideways and Kiku laughs, face upturned. "Nah, we'll help you, won't we Shou?"

"Naturally," they reply. "There's no other option, really. We don't get to see you enough as it is." There's a moment of silence, as the trio remember times when they had been a team, when they hadn't been three but four.

"Anyway, what did you want to look at exactly?" Kiku asks.

"Well, I've been working on the idea for a while, but you know how you can regulate your body temperature with chakra?" Kiku and Shou both nod. "Right, well, if you raise a body temperature high enough you trigger a heart attack, which causes death – or something similar, I can't quite remember what I read. The point is, high fevers can end in death. So, say if you force a chakra transfusion of fire chakra, causing a person's temperature to sky-rocket, that should theoretically end in their death."

"For assassinations, right?" Shou quizzes, and Toru ducks his head in a nod as the trio enter one Konoha's many training grounds. "Right, well, what's your main issue currently? I take it you've been got a handle on the chakra control needed and taken care of managing to change the temperature of things through chakra?"

"Yeah," Toru answers, "but it's the transferring to a human part that's been causing the issues. How much would I need to have it result in death quickly?"

"It'd depend on the person – their age, height, weight, etc.," Kiku points out. "What would happen if you used too much fire chakra anyway?"

"You'd probably fry their systems – make it really obvious that they had been killed by a ninja, which means such a thing could be tracked," Toru explains. "Meanwhile, using too little fire chakra would mean they'd just get really hot, possibly waking up."

"Could you use a genjutsu to push them to ignore such a thing?" Shou asks. "And then, just increase the fire chakra as you go?"

"I wouldn't want to be staying around for long if I'm trying to assassinate someone," Toru points out. "Not to mention, it's hard enough concentrating to control my chakra to such a level, let alone adding on a genjutsu on top of that."

"You can use the henge and just about any other genjutsu," Kiku replies with a wave of her hand. "I doubt using a genjutsu while focussing on something else will be terribly difficult. Plus, as you get better at using the jutsu, you'll be able to figure out how much chakra to use generally and you'll get faster, therefore able to avoid using the genjutsu."

"Helpful guys," Toru replies.

Shou rolls their eyes. "Toru, you're the one who creates jutsus, why did you expect us to help?"

"Well, you did help," Toru says, "and besides, sometimes a secondary perspective is what you need."

"Okay, true," Kiku says, dragging the words out, "but are we planning on sparring or…?"

Shou laughs, using a body-flicker to move out of the way just as Kiku lashes out with a taijutsu attack. Toru dances sideways before following Shou's lead. "If you can catch us first!" He shouts back with a laugh.

* * *

Looking around, Souma feels quite out of place in the street. He isn't used to having time on his hands, isn't used to not training or being part of a mission. He's been told to do something but not anything to do with improving his skills or fighting or missions or anything, and he's not sure what else there is to do. There's very little he can do, and he knows even less what he can do. And so, he wanders, one foot in front of the other, looking about but not understanding what he's meant to be seeing.

In his peripheral vision, he spots a familiar face. He half-turns, wondering who it is, because he knows very few people with familiar faces, _(masks are all blank and can never be familiar because they are all blank and those behind them are forever changing as they diediedie)._

It's a member of his team _(something he is yet to understand, because teams are liabilities and simply those-you-work-with, but this is meant to be something more and it makes no sense)_. The youngest one, _(Uchiha, chūnin, ANBU, potential-threat, potential-enemy, potential-potential-potential),_ and Souma wonders what he's meant to do in this situation. Is he meant to go up to his teammate? Is he meant to wave and continue on with his business _(whatever it is he is meant to be doing)_? He is not sure, and that makes him uneasy; he isn't meant to… not know.

Except… The boy _(shinobi)_ sees him and comes over, smile on his face, and looking as if he's aware of what he's doing, looking like he has some idea of what he wants, of who he is.

 _(Kami, he wishes he had that.)_

"Hey Souma," Toru says, eyes soft _(and Souma doesn't understand how Toru can look so gentle and soft when he is a ninja)_. Souma tries to adopt a smile back, lips twisting upwards in what he hopes is a smile. He doesn't know if it works, as Toru's eyes flicker sideways before resting on his face again. "What are you doing?"

Here is a choice that Souma has been gifted – he can do what his training dictates and lie, but trust is meant to be something important, something vital, and maybe Souma should try to trust _(even if he doesn't quite understand what it means to believe in someone)_. "I'm not sure," he says slowly, "I'm not meant to be training, but I'm meant to do something."

Toru hums, head tilted, "Training or sparring?"

"Are they not the same thing?" Souma demands, because how is sparring not training? They are both performed for the betterment of one's skills.

"Technically," the Uchiha explains. "Except, there is sparring for training and then there is sparring for other reasons."

"How can you spar for other reasons?" Souma asks, confused but willing to reach out; he is not about to push away a perfectly good resource anyway.

"I'll show you," Toru says, "Come, we can go spar in a nearby training ground."

"I'm not allowed to partake in any training currently," Souma reminds the boy, and Toru shakes his head, wisps of reddish-brown hair flying with the movement.

"First thing you need to understand, Souma," Toru says, "is that you shouldn't let anyone make your choices for you. _You_ , and you alone, decide who you will be. This is your decision, and that should never have been taken from you in the first place – if you do something, do it because you want to."

"Are you not telling me what to do right now?" Souma asks, something on the tip of his tongue, something urging him to call Toru out on his words – he doesn't understand it, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be allowed to feel it. He understands that now… maybe.

"I am," Toru replies, tossing a grin at Souma, "What are you going to do about it?"

Souma hesitates, because he had been told to not train, but it hadn't been an order, and besides, Souma didn't want to not train. He wants to spar with Toru, to fight until everything is tired and his muscles ache; he wants the day to be well spent, not wondering and wandering and not knowing.

"What do you want to do?" He asks, and it is not an answer, but Toru seems to take it as one.

"All out," the other ninja responds, "Anything goes bar attacks that will cause death or injuries deeper than a cut."

They stop in a training ground that Souma has not fought in before. There are no obstacles, nothing to hide behind, it is flat ground, bare aside from the soft grass beneath their feet. "Very well," Souma responds.

He lashes out with a high kick, moving without warning, refusing to even give Toru a second to consider his reply. Toru slips around it, twisting and then flipping backwards and out of range.

Nonetheless, Souma refuses to wait, pressing on his advantage, forcing Toru backwards, exploiting the fact that Toru's taijutsu is inferior to his own. He focusses, world shrinking as his mind turns all of its attention and concentration onto the fight that's taking place.

They start off slow, warming muscles, stretching themselves in an unusual way. The pace of the fight quickens, though, and their minds move faster with it. Soon enough, they have thoroughly tested each other's reflexes and defences, now building plans in their own minds – plans to attack, plans to defend, plans to win.

Souma's strength rises within him, and he dances to the sound of his drumming heart, moves in time with his singing blood. The ground, once grass, turns to clumps of dirt torn out of the ground, hazardous to both fighters.

In only a few minutes since the start of their fight, they have already found a stalemate. Souma's taijutsu is superior, neither can deny that fact, but that does not mean Toru will lose to it. Souma relies on a mix of strength and speed, never faltering and always pushing forward. His power lies not in his muscles, but in always pressuring his opponent. He refuses to back down, to falter, and that is his forte. Still, Toru defends and defends and defends. Where Souma has strength, Toru has flexibility. Where Souma has speed, Toru matches it. In avoiding the blow, Toru avoids Souma's advantage. In shying away, Toru stays uninjured, and that will always be a win in this life of theirs. To change their fight would be to break the stalemate, and so the fight will change.

 _(Souma has learnt, has been told, has been taught, that in a fight, you do not want to prolong it. Ninjas are shadowed creatures, hidden in plain sight, fast and furious and quick. Their speciality and talent is attacking before anyone is aware of their presence. To remain in stalemate, Souma knows, will lower his chances of winning.)_

 _(To win means staying alive, means being able to face another day, means remaining helpful to Konoha and his superiors.)_

 _(To win, Toru knows with steady resolve that no one really knows and even fewer have tested, is living and surviving; to win is to struggle upwards unerring; to win is to see the next day's sunrise; to win is to greet his family and friends, and not in the afterlife.)_

 _(Souma knows not of this, but he has a life to live and decisions to make; he has an identity to create, so perhaps he will understand one day.)_

The fight changes and it is Souma who causes it. He disengages, launching himself backwards and twisting out of the way of Toru's reflexive _(surprised)_ attack. Although he looks unarmed, Souma is far from it. With his body charged with adrenaline, Souma pushes forward, chakra increasing both his strength and his speed. They are engrossed in their fight once more, and this time there is the added danger of weaponry.

A kunai in each hand, Souma's taijutsu changes, and Toru is left unknowing how to respond to the new attacking style. While not his preference, Souma is still a capable fighter with the kunais. Alike to his chief taijutsu style, Souma continuously presses forward, pressuring Toru to keep up.

There's a snarl on Toru's face, and Souma can sense Toru's chakra flaring wildly as the other shinobi strengthens his own muscles and power. Souma matches him, using his height as an advantage and shoving downwards. One of Toru's legs buckle – it is a weakness. They both see it. The fight changes, once again.

Toru disengages this time, flipping backwards and then up. Souma tries to follow, eyes alert, instincts responding to the slightest twitch, the slightest sound, the slightest change in air pressure. He sees Toru come down, shadow increasing, wind screaming, and then Toru blinks out of sight – there one moment, gone the next.

Jerking his chakra, Souma realises he is not under some genjutsu, and then he is slamming his hand down on the ground, channelling lightning in an uncontrolled attempt to flush out Toru. It works, somewhat.

He steps backward, out of the way, soft ground caving beneath his feet and almost making him stumble. A fist breezes past his chin, and something in Souma knows it could've caused serious damage to his face. He's now the one under pressure, and this could be Toru's mistake.

Instead of cracking, Souma comes alive, the speed of his thoughts increasing even more, adrenaline rushing through his body once more, this time leaving the nerves alight. He can feel everything, his heart thudding in his chest, shoulders heaving as his lungs expand with every breathe he takes.

Chakra slams through his body and he leaps up, flipping backwards rather than forwards, and Toru is caught off-guard. Wide-eyed, wary-eyed, Souma waits, settling his weight onto his heels, planting himself firmly into the ground. Throughout the spar, he has been light on his feet, moving forward ceaselessly. Even though it isn't his strongest – favourite – way to fight, Souma can stand back, stand steady, defend and respond rather than attack and attack.

Much of what Souma has observed about Toru is that he is someone who waits, who reacts, who counters rather than takes the initiative. It is not a negative thing or a positive thing, it just is.

Toru pauses, hesitates, even as he tries to hide it – but Souma sees it with grey eyes, dark, focussed, strong. Toru charges, chakra crackling as Toru charges a ninjutsu, overcharging it, Souma thinks, thoughts lost as he concentrates on what is happening around him. Hands speed through hand seals, and then there are glowing air bullets speeding towards him, and Souma is aware of how the wind ninjutsu would easily kill him if he doesn't move soon.

Souma flips through his own hand seals, calls up a shield of water, and then is replacing himself with a stick, taking up a new position a step from Toru. Toru turns, hands lashing out in a lightning-quick combination of attacks. Souma meets him, blow for blow, attack for defence. Souma steps around an attack, ducking low, kicking out and then rolling out of the way. His lips pull up in a grin or maybe a snarl, and then the pair are fighting again.

They're caught in a whirlwind of taijutsu again, unable to think, only reacting. Without being aware of it, their movements become softer, faster and all the more dangerous, but softer. Feet planted in the ground find safety and stability in the air. Their world becomes full of nothing yet everything that matters in the moment.

It seems, once more, that they are stuck in stalemate, and maybe an observer would think so. Souma knows better, and he thinks that maybe Toru knows that too. It isn't a stalemate, but it is similar in its give and take manner.

Then, with all the unstoppable force of the sea, Toru slams his hands forward, arms outstretched, palms facing Souma, and he speaks—

Souma feels his senses return, his body power up, and there is a sense of safety and trust around him, stability in a storm of uncertainty. He groans, comfortable with showing weakness, and chakra surrounds him, gentle yet tempered with something unknown, curls around him, a shield against the outside world. His shoulder burns, and through it he can sense this chakra. His eyes open.

The first thing he sees is Toru, not quite next to him but close, and it is Toru's chakra that Souma senses, and he can't help but feel relaxed for the first time in ages. "You alright?" Toru asks softly, gaze fixed on something in the distance, and Souma thinks that this is Toru's way of letting him lie in a way that Toru will be unable to catch.

There is something unnamed between them, and it is the same something that rests in Souma's chest but it is light; it sits on his tongue but… Souma doesn't believe it is something bad.

Souma tilts his head back, getting up from where he's lying down and moving so he's sitting next to Toru, shoulder pressed into shoulder. Toru's warmth settles Souma, and he sighs, tipping his head backwards to look up at the sky.

"Yeah," Souma says, hesitantly, and he feels like he believes it, "I'm alright." Toru turns his head enough so that Souma can see the younger boy's smile in his peripheral vision. In that moment, it's easy for a matching smile to form on Souma's face. "Now, do you want to explain what the hell you just did?"

Toru throws his head back and laughs, features coming to life, and Souma can't help but join in. And there they are, two ninjas living and laughing and _winning_.

* * *

Mitsuko, sitting next to Fuyuko, leans forward, faded red-grey hair slipping past her ears and falling into her face. With a huff, she pushes it back past by her ears once again. "Alright. I heard everything you said just then, but I want you to go through it again. Slower this time, and with more of an explanation."

"Explain your thoughts," Fuyuko elaborates for her wife. "Why you did what you did."

"Start with the suppressor seal – that's the simpler one," Mitsuko adds, and Toru nods.

"Well, it's got a circular shape," Toru starts explaining, "as that'll keep the chakra flow fairly smooth."

Mitsuko waves her hand, "That's the obvious part," she says with a roll of her eyes.

"Right, well, the purpose of the seal is to stop the two locks seal from being used to see the whole seal and also stopping the original seal from working. It's a combination of two base seals. There's the Thirteen Opposing base seal that is linked to a One Chain base seal through a key and chain interlocker – it's coded on the basis that if a Two Locks base seal is positioned on top of those seals, and chakra channelled through it, then it sets off the Thirteen Opposing seal – which is what keeps blocking the original cursed seal as well – and–"

"Okay, pause," Fuyuko says, stopping Toru in his tracks. "The Thirteen Opposing seal is blocking the cursed seal from working?" Toru nods. "How?"

"Well, it's acting in a way that when the cursed seal is activated, it pulls the chakra from that into itself and sends it through the One Chain seal to release it into the atmosphere," Toru explains.

"Right, that makes sense and should work," Mitsuko says a second later. "Continue with your explanation – you were saying that the Two Locks base seal triggers the Thirteen Opposing seal causing…"

"It sets off the One Chain seal," Toru continues, "which has a component that sends lighting through to the person whose chakra is in the Two Locks base seal. That's how the suppressing seal works – or, at the very least, should work."

Mitsuko nods, "Explain your other seal now. Start with its purpose and explain what it's meant to do before describing how you made it and why you made it like that."

"The protection seal operates on the basis that if chakra other than Hyūga Clan chakra goes through the eye, then the eye will be destroyed," Toru starts. "The shape is diamond with rounded edges and a circle within it – it's got two layers. The first layer is made up of the One Chain base seal, except with a different identifier. Instead of the normal identifier, it's got two identifiers in the middle – _itonamu_ and _tatsu_. This layer's purpose is to simply hold the chakra of the Hyūga Clan."

"How do you connect the first layer and the second layer?" Fuyuko asks.

"With a key and chain as well as a multi-integrated link," Toru says. "The multi-integrated link will confine the seal to something very smaller, whilst the key and chain interlocker will ensure that if chakra other than the Hyūga Clan chakra goes through the seal, the second layer will activate – which is the Ten Interlocker seal.

"The Ten Interlocker seal prevents chakra from the unknown source from being used straight away, and instead sends it through the Eleven Torii seal, which ensures that the only chakra with good intentions can be used – so, healing chakra basically. If there is chakra with bad intentions, a storage seal is triggered. The storage seal is hidden in the first layer within the One Chain base seal. The storage seal causes the eye to be stored and cannot be retrieved, as it's a chakra-specific seal, meaning only specific chakra can activate the storage seal."

Toru glances from Mitsuko's face to Fuyuko's face. "Do you think it'll work?" He asks, already unwilling to place an untried and untested seal on a human being, but knowing there is no other way.

"It's a shame there's no way of testing it," Fuyuko says slowly. "But it sounds like it should work fine."

"I agree with her," Mitsuko says. "Nonetheless, neither of us really specialise in this kind of thing – not that this kind of thing is, in any way, normal. However, the theory behind it is all correct."

"Now I just have to explain it all to the Hyūga Clan Head, and then apply it, while also teaching them how to apply that seal only so that I'm not the only one applying the seal," Toru says.

"Good luck with that," Mitsuko says with a half-smirk. Toru sighs.

* * *

There are whispers on the street, and like a bloodhound, Toru follows them. The whispers do not arise from civilian gossip; the whispers are not the rumours of ninjas. The whispers are something less, more hidden, more secretive, something less even as they are something more. They are ignored, brushed aside, and select few hear them just as a multitude hear them. The thing is – select few who matter hear them, the multitude who hear them are ignored.

Toru isn't alone; and on the streets, there is a dark shadow that haunts alleys and dead-ends. There's something menacing and comforting flitting through the streets. There is a guiding hand resting on the shoulders of those who can bear it, and those who bear it reach out and offer a shield to others.

 _(In the end, it comes down to this – a boy with a large heart sees children on the street and says that they can be more, and they believe him.)_

 _(In the end, it isn't about anything else; it's about a boy who reaches out and the hands that grasp his.)_

Kakumau is everything its name suggests and even more on top of that. It had started off small – Toru at its mouth and six behind him, but it has expanded and become more. It had been restricted to Konoha, once, but now two of its members wander outside of Konoha – not doing anything, but there; quiet, waiting.

With wariness and worry on the forefront of his mind, Toru melds with the darkness of the streets, the bowed over children, the poor-stricken, the empty-eyes-empty-hearts-empty-hands. He shrinks in on himself, hunches over, hides his face in a cowl's shadows. He, like a chameleon, changes his appearance to blend in.

Tomoe finds him quickly, a lithe shadowed girl of eleven-years, ragged hair and steel-coloured eyes. She finds him and Toru knows he has achieved something here and it is all clear in the life that beats fiercely in the heart of a street kid; it's evident in the way she is not bones-and-skin but muscles as well.

"Ryuu," she greets softly, slipping beside him as they walk where many do not. "Hikaru told ya the rumours then, the meeting that's bein' hinted at?"

Toru nods with a near-silent hum. "Someone wants my attention," he divulges, "but for what I know not."

"Wouldn't think we'd know either," Tomoe says, "except we got more eyes and ears than I ever thought. Best all of us could figure was that someone got some attention and needs help with somethin' or the other. Can't be sure."

"Any chance someone will try to disrupt the meeting?" Toru asks, a dangerous spark in his eyes, because disrupting a meeting isn't simply gate-crashing the meeting, not out in the streets. Disrupting a meeting is going in with fists raised and weapons glinting with their jagged, serrated, broken edges. It means injuries and death; it would mean Toru responding in an unprecedented way.

"Low," Tomoe replies after a brief moment of silence. She pauses as they pass the forms of two children curled up beside one another. Toru lets his gaze rest on them briefly, seeing how one looks up, seeing how one has a feather weaved into their hair. A thrill runs through him; Tomoe and he nod to two of the Kakumau members.

"Don't think the adults have figured that somethin's going down tonight," Tomoe explains, "but they're certainly figurin' out that something's been changin' on the streets; even if they don't know what. We've been keepin' most of our attention on them. Somethin's in the wind but we ain't got any ideas yet."

"Listen to your instincts," Toru advises. "I don't want anyone caught up with whatever hell goes on between those gangs, but if we get pulled in, I'm gonna go in right with you lot."

"We know that," Tomoe says with a wave of her hand, even if there's a waver in her voice, a tremble in her fingers, _(they both know that this is something new, despite the fact it started a long time ago)._ "An'way, Rena's scoutin' around the area with Kira as her backup. Raiden an' Masuyo an' Hikaru are watchin' around as guards. You got me with ya for now."

"Good planning," Toru commends, just as they reach the ruined husk of an old house. He greets Hikaru with a nod, before slipping into the house with its crumbling walls and holey roof. Tomoe trails behind him, watching his back and keeping a wary eye on what's behind them as they continue forward through the broken rooms of the house.

The house is something old, and has been left to fall into disrepair, which isn't surprising considering the surrounding area – very few people are willing to live in the area where the homeless roam. Still, the damage to the house is old – decades old, maybe, and Toru would bet a kunai that the house had been damaged in the Kyūbi attack years ago.

Near the back of the house, they finally see the person who organised the meeting. The meeting in question had come from rumours put together, all of them addressing Ryuu, revealing a meeting place and a time. Unable to do anything else, Toru had decided to go, but he wasn't dumb – he didn't go alone.

"Ryuu," the teenager says, the name said in breathy admiration. Toru feels awkward with the obvious awe that the teenager holds for him. He does nothing about it, instead tilting his head in greeting. "Right, of course, my name. I'm called Akiko."

"I take it you have a reason for calling this meeting Akiko?" Toru asks, wondering if Akiko is part of a gang, wondering who she is, wondering what she wants.

"I do," Akiko responds. "I'm unaffiliated with any of the gangs and I clean a fresh food shop as soon as it's closed and the sun goes down. I get little money that I can't properly use, but it's kept me away from the gangs. The owner shut down the store recently, moved too. However, when I first went to go clean after it shut down – which the owner never told me about – one of the shop neighbours told me that they could have gotten me a job but I couldn't look like I was… as I am; homeless. Can you help me?"

Toru doesn't need to exchange glances with Tomoe because it all comes down to wanting to help, and the aim of Kakumau is to offer protection, safety, harbour. Toru is reaching out and this is someone reaching back, grasping his hand, and depending on him to pull them out of the abyss. Toru will do it. There is no doubt about that.

"Yes," he says bluntly, "but it won't be easy."

Akiko offers a grim smile, "Nothing ever is. What do you need from me in return?"

 _(On the streets, you trade in debts and secrets. You cannot depend on altruism and mercy, such things do not exist. Much of this applies to the wider world as well.)_

"You join Kakumau," Toru replies. "You help us when you can and we will help you in return. You keep your eyes and ears open, and if you figure out or hear anything important, you report to us."

"And in return you will…?"

"You will get housing, clothing, and other essentials. Everything will be paid for until you have amassed enough money to pay for yourself, and when you are able to, you will pay back what has been given."

"I agree to your conditions," Akiko says with a firm nod. Her facial features crinkle together, curious, Toru would bet.

"You'll be living in the Uchiha Clan Compound," Toru says with a smirk, and takes in Akiko's shocked expression. "We'll organise it as soon as we can, but for now," he glances at Tomoe who nods, "you can keep with these guys. They'll keep you safe."

Tomoe jerks his head towards the entrance, "C'mon Akiko, let's get you meetin' the rest of the gang and all set up. Ryuu, you have three days maximum." Toru nods.

 _(It all starts with a boy telling a girl she can be more. It continues with a network rising and hope soaring. It will always be life existing where it never would have survived.)_

* * *

Toru's just crossed the boundary of the Uchiha Clan Compound when he finds himself face to face with Yuzuki Katou – Yua's mother – flanked by two other parents. "Yes?" He asks in a questioning tone, doing his best to figure out what Yuzuki, Daiki, and Sumiko want to talk to him about.

"We're going to take you up on your offer regarding the Survivor's Fund," Yuzuki announces. "We've managed to create a list of others who would also want to join, and we know some businesses who also want to donate money and own a share of the organisation."

Toru blinks in surprise before smiling sincerely. "That sounds fantastic. Shall we go talk statistics?"

* * *

 **Toru meets with his genin teammates, his friends in this life, and – like always – it is a joyful time, even though there is someone missing from their lives. Souma takes a step toward trust and understanding humanity, both his own and others. In the midst of fighting, he finds a teammate, and maybe he will learn one day friendship too. Meanwhile, Toru creates seals unprecedented that very few will ever know of. And on the streets, changes happen, as they always do. To be stagnant is to die, and they are all doing their best to survive.**

* * *

 _ **Honestly, I was planning to explore Toru's new jutsu a bit more, but I didn't know how to go about it. Shou and Kiku offered their ideas on how it could work, simply because there are so many variables. In the end, it turned out to be a small gathering where the trio could have some fun. I think they all needed it.**_

 _ **So, someone mentioned something about Sora, I think it was? Anyway, it meant that I need to give Souma some appreciation in any case. To be honest, I've shown Sora so far because she had developed further just in terms of emotions and opinions and just general human stuff. Souma was caught between his training and what he's now meant to do, and it's left him all tangled up and unsure about everything. You get to see his perspective here and what's happening with him. What do you guys think of him? I found it interesting to write his point of view because he's caught between everything, and trying to follow what he's told to do and yet told to be his own person.**_

 _ **The spar was just to get fun and also to allow them to get to know one another better. You can understand things about a person from their fighting style. Both Toru and Souma have a better understanding of each other now. Also, the physical closeness is something you'll start seeing more of, especially in regards to the ANBU team. In essence, it's because they can depend on each other and also allows themselves to remind each other that they aren't alone and that they're safe, and it helps them return to the normal feelings of being human.**_

 _ **As always with the seal stuff, if you have questions, let me know! We should see an ending to the Hyuuga clan deal soon, as in next chapter soon (I don't know how many chapters are left of this, but not long. Soon I'll be able to move forward with the interim book and also the next book, which is where we get into canon and I'm quite excited for it).**_

 _ **Honestly, I don't have much to say about this chapter, it's just me finishing of side stories and so forth. We've got two main things left in this book, and one will be finished in the next chapter. The last part will just take however many chapters it will, but it's pretty basic. I'm excited to write it though.**_


	14. Conducive

Hiashi listens to the Uchiha Clan Head explain the seals he's devised in just over a week. The boy sums it up with, "Since there's no way of testing the seals before they are activated, the seals should work theoretically, but theory doesn't work out in practise, as we all know. Nonetheless, seals are hard to create and understand because fūinjutsu is subjective, so it may work or it may not and it's near impossible to know until the situation where the seal is activated occurs."

Tamiko frowns, "You plan on putting an untried and untested seal on children?" She glares at Toru. "I won't stand for it."

"You can't test these seals," the Uchiha points out. "Not unless you want to try and take someone's eyes out, and even then the eyes are destroyed in that moment. Plus, seals like this have never been created or, at least, no creations have been recorded in Konoha about such seals. I bet you it's a new field, things like this generally aren't done."

"The current seal in conjunction with your suppression seal?" Tamiko asks.

"The current seal has numerous faults, mainly that it relies on the person to be dead when the eyes are being taken," he responds bluntly. "I've done all I can," he switches his gaze to Hiashi who has been silent thus far. "It's your call now."

Hiashi has done wrong – by his clan, by his family. He refuses to do it again. "Tamiko, what are your thoughts?" He asks, his gaze resting heavily on his fellow clan member.

"The suppression seal is definitely worth taking, but the other seal is your decision, Hiashi-sama," Tamiko responds. "I cannot speak for the whole clan. Our eyes lie in your hands; you are our Clan Head."

Hiashi thinks quickly; he is a shinobi – he weighs the pros against the cons, but for once he also considers the effects it could have beyond the reputation of the clan, beyond the strength of the Hyūga Clan. He considers the emotional and mental effects it could have on his clan members. This is much bigger than him and his clan; it's also about the future _(it's about his children, Hizashi's own child; it's about what his brother said and did and the past; it's about Hiashi's regrets and also so much more than that)_.

"How long?" He asks.

The Uchiha frowns, "How long until what?"

"How long will it take to place down all the seals," Hiashi responds. "There are thirty-five members within the Clan, twenty of which have the cursed seal." The Uchiha Clan Head runs a hand through his hair, tugging it out of its tail; Hiashi makes note of the gesture.

"Suppression seals can probably be laid down in half an hour if a person knows what they're doing. The other seal will take an hour, probably, to place and then activate. I could probably lay down most of the seals down in concession, but I'd preferably like to have a break every three or four seals laid down," the Uchiha says slowly. "That said, I'd need to teach the seal to a few people, which would of course take longer. In essence, it'll take a minimum of one to two days, maximum of a week barring any emergencies."

Hiashi nods, "Tamiko, find two others within the branch house who'd be willing to act as elders. Send someone for Honoka, Naoko, and Yori." Tamiko nods and hurries off, Hiashi turns his gaze to the Uchiha. "Uchiha-san, are you able to make a non-permanent seal and activate it in here?"

"Yes, but I will use ink. It can be washed off, will that be alright with you?" Hiashi nods once more.

"Do it," he commands. "As of right now, you are involved with the political stand off within our clan. I am going to remake the elders and they _will_ stand down. It will happen today, but I ask for your aid."

"I cannot give it without question, but I will help where I can. What is it that you request of me?" The Uchiha Clan Head asks, and Hiashi understands. The Uchiha is in an odd position, in charge of a clan of two and doing his best to better the reputation of his clan and himself. It operates in a different manner to the Hyūga Clan, especially now when there are no elders nor inter-clan politics.

"To fight with me as my teammate," Hiashi responds.

Nevertheless, Hiashi has been thinking and planning for a while. In order to disband the cursed seal, he needs to recreate his clan, reshape into something that could be more. The elders need to be with the times rather than of old eras long forgotten and better left behind. To start something, he must first end something else.

"I will do so, and in doing so cement the alliance between our clans," the Uchiha replies.

For years, the Hyūga Clan has followed the same traditions in regards to Clan Heads and elders. When an elder dies or steps down, the other elders elect someone to fill that spot. When a Clan Head steps down or dies, the heir that's approved by the elders fulfils the position. The result is that those in power are always from the main house, those who are powerless are never given a chance, prejudice is bred into their very blood.

However, clans formed during the Clan War Era have multiple methods for succession, because whole families can die out within days of each other, because clans shouldn't have to follow those they do not trust into battle after battle, war after war. There are old traditions to challenge Clan Heads and elders, old traditions probably forgotten by most.

There are eight elders currently, for that to change, each elder needs to be challenged by someone willing to take that position. Hiashi has figured members to take up six positions, and wants to remove the last two posts. However, to remove the positions from the elder council, he needs to challenge the pair to a battle with someone from outside of the clan backing him up. It's a mess but that tradition had been implemented by one of the Hyūga's who had been desperately trying to avoid losing control over the branch house when they started challenging the elders to take their positions but then drop out, removing the elder council from the clan as a whole.

Hiashi is pulled out of his thoughts by the arrival of six other clan members – Honoka, Naoko, Yori, Tamiko, Kiyoko, and Shin. He looks over at the Uchiha Clan Head who has finished the privacy seal or, at least, appears to have finished. "Can you activate the privacy seal?" The Uchiha nods and does so, black lines of ink glowing and stretching out, before dulling.

Facing his clan members, Hiashi meets their gazes evenly. "I ask for your aid, but I do not demand it. However, if you are willing, I wish for each one of you to take a position as an elder within the clan. To do so, though, you will be required to challenge one elder to battle and defeat them to claim the position. Together, all six of you – along with myself – will form the council of the elders of the Hyūga Clan. Uchiha-san is going to fight with me against two of the elders in order to remove one's position."

The Uchiha stands beside Hiashi, but slightly behind him as well, supporting him but not being led by him; the Uchiha continues to defy all his expectations, forever proving himself to be more than Hiashi's initial assumptions.

Tamiko doesn't hesitate, stepping forward, "I will claim a position," she announces. "But I demand the seals we've spoken about before I partake in a such a fight."

Hiashi glances at the Uchiha Clan Head, because while he agrees, he is not the one who must activate the seals after laying them down. The boy gives a miniscule nod, and Hiashi nods at his clan member. "Of course," he says smoothly, "I'd hardly let you go into that battle without the suppression seal at the very least." He turns his attention to his other clan members.

"I am enacting a change within the Hyūga Clan. No longer will the branch house be at the mercy of the main house; their seals will be removed where possible, suppressed where such a thing would be too dangerous to the individual. Another seal will be required for all with Hyūga blood, and it will ensure your eyes stay safe no matter the situation. The branch house and the main house will no longer be separated, instead joining together to form the Hyūga Clan as a whole. All of you are now to decide whether you are willing to help me in such an endeavour."

The three main house clan members – Yori, Naoko, and Honoko – give a small bow to Hiashi, and move so that they are beside Tamiko, offering support readily. Hiashi awaits the response of the final two members of his clan – two from the branch house. Shin and Kiyoko, both who have had to deal with prejudices within the clan, the disadvantaged they have been struggling with simply because they had been born into the branch house.

Shin gives Hiashi a stern stare, shifting to look at Tamiko, before stepping forward. "I have been hated by many members of the main house due to being a jōnin," he says, and Hiashi refuses to shift uncomfortably, _(he willingly accepts the blame on his shoulders, such a burden is not easy to carry but it is his to carry nonetheless)_. "I am willing to do my utmost best to ensure that no other branch house members must face the same hatred and struggles I did. I will work with you, but I will not work for you."

Hiashi goes to respond, but the Uchiha speaks before he can. "Good," he says, speaking like he has the right to have an input in clan interactions, speaking like he has experience in such a situation. "The elder council of a clan should not be working for the Clan Head, but beside them. You should be making decisions that everyone will agree with, power should be balanced, not unequal. Dictatorship within a clan is not something that should be readily accepted. No one should be at the mercy of another because of a seal. This clan needs change, and you should all be remembered for what you will do." The Uchiha tilts his head slightly, meeting Hiashi's unhappy gaze. "It may not be my place to speak," he continues softly, "but I will speak regardless because everyone's voices deserve to be heard."

 _(The Uchiha is onto something, but Hiashi would prefer everything to happen because a person is willing to do it, not because some fancy words encouraged them to do so.)_

Kiyoko nods, as if to herself, and steps forward. "I will work alongside you all," she says, "and we will change our clan. When will we be challenging the elders?"

"I wish to do it as soon as possible, so the moment the seals have been suppressed," Hiashi says decisively.

"We do it today," Tamiko demands. "We get the seals suppressed and we go challenge the elders right now while they're all in one place, while everyone can see so that everyone can know." Hiashi nods and turns his gaze to the Uchiha.

"There are two ways to place the seal; I can either put the shorthand version of a piece of paper where it remains inactivated. It can then be placed anywhere and activated when chakra is channelled through the paper, causing the seal to remain on the surface the paper touches. Or I can teach you how to properly draw the seal, but it does create a higher chance of the seal being ruined and become destabilised," the Uchiha explains. "It's your choice how this is done."

"Paper method for the suppression seal," Hiashi decides, "both for the other one."

"Very well," is the response he gets, before the shinobi gets out paper and starts sketching the seal in question. For someone so young, he is quick to place seals and activate them, sure of his actions, sure in manner. There is something to him that makes Hiashi feel uncertain, makes him want to rethink – not rethink his choices here, but rethink his hopes for the future, his pessimistic thoughts.

Hiashi watches, but it all seems to be over pretty quickly. The youngest chūnin in the room moving quickly and efficiently, but still it takes him little over an hour, quicker than he had promised previously, but Hiashi assumes it's simply because he knows the seal so well – he did create it, after all.

Together, the eight of them leave, heading towards the room where the Hyūga elders meet. Hiashi leads them, the Uchiha Clan Head beside him, and behind them but not following him are those who will end up being elders, _(Hiashi sees no other outcome here)_.

 _(It goes without saying who will win and who will lose. The current elders are old and out of training, they left their strength and power behind many years ago. Those who go to battle them are young, power still in their bones and muscles. They are those who will see the future and help usher it in.)_

 _(Hiashi had been correct – there is no alternative outcome. The elders will lose, because they lost their way a long time ago. New elders will be put into place the very day they challenge the others, everything will change – this is only the first step on a path that extends long into the distance.)_

* * *

 _With a mask, he becomes nothing more than Jakkaru, ANBU of Uzushio, one of many. He becomes unimportant, plain. He becomes the mask he wears, nothing more and nothing less. He is Uzushio's and that would never change._

 _He doesn't have a mission; he's just returned from one. It had been an easy mission, an in-and-out assassination. He's waiting to report, having his report being delayed due to an emergency meeting being called after the ending of another mission._

 _Jakkaru isn't thinking about it. It's not his job. He waits, patient. If it is important, he will be told. If it has nothing to do with his missions, then he will not be told and it won't manner anyway. And so, he waits, feeling more awake and alert and pain-free than he thinks he should be after an ANBU mission, even an easy one._

 _The door opens, and his attention snaps down to those exiting, before widening once more to focus on all of his surroundings. An ANBU Captain exits first, left arm in a cast and sling. Jakkaru feels worry settle into his mind, hidden in a back corner. ANBU missions are difficult, but generally broken bones are healed by a medic-nin when ANBU return home. The mission that the Captain must have led had to have been extremely tough._

 _The ANBU Commander exits, pausing in the doorway, head tilted to watch the trio turn around the corner. Their mask turns to face Jakkaru, who instantly straightens. "Jakkaru-san, how mission ready are you?"_

 _Jakkaru analyses himself, noting the lack of aches and his fairly full chakra. "Couldn't be much better," he replies truthfully. "Am I needed for a mission?"_

 _"Your report can wait," the ANBU Commander says with a nod. "Most of the ANBU are out currently on team missions, leaving very few to deal with the current situation. Moreover, the influx of hard missions has caused a decrease of ANBU on roster and in-village. I will send someone to follow you as soon as possible, but we need to act quickly."_

 _"What's the mission?" Jakkaru asks, curiosity taking a backseat as he focusses on the present, thoughts narrowing onto the immediate problem and his mission._

 _"In the last mission of an ANBU team, a teammate turned traitor attempted to kill one the rest of their teammates. The result was that the ANBU Captain was left in critical condition and his two teammates with major injuries as well. Riko Matsumoto, codename Kani, is a known jōnin with ANBU-level skills. She had been given an A-rank in terms of strength, but from what we can tell, her abilities are beyond what we know. It is vital that she is taken down, but we cannot afford losses. If necessary, shadow her until there is a chance and another ANBU team catches up," the ANBU Commander says._

 _Jakkaru nods, a short, sharp movement. "When do I take off?"_

 _"Now. The last reported location was the corner at the borders of Hi no Kuni, Yu no Kuni, and our own borders." Jakkaru nods, before saluting his ANBU Commander; and then he turns on his heel and takes off. Heading north-east at a steady lope, he moves quicker than usual but keeps a speed that he'll be able to keep up for a few hours._

 _He takes the quickest route to Hi no Kuni's shores, slipping around whirlpools that threatened to pull him down into the depths of the sea, regardless of his chakra keeping him above the waves._

 _Upon reaching Hi no Kuni's shores, he heads inland, where the ground is harder and unlikely to collapse between his feet. He heads northward._

 _Konoha and Uzushio's long surviving alliance mean that Hi no Kuni has an amiable relationship with Uzushio-nin, allowing them to cross through for their missions and travel along near the shoreline to get to other places. It is a sign of trust on the behalf of both Konoha and Uzushio, and so far, neither village has regretted the terms of their alliance._

 _Hours after leaving Uzushio, Jakkaru comes across the sign of a hard fight. The participants in the fight did not try to hide any evidence of the battle, and a glint of metal makes Jakkaru edge closer to an overturned clump of dirt. Nothing happens and he can't sense any chakra from it, so he bends down and scraps the dirt away with the blade of a kunai. He unearths a hitai-ate, the Uzushio symbol dented and dirt stained._

 _He knows he's on the right track, and sealing the hitai-ate away, he looks around again. Riko Sasaki (Kani) had been an Uzushio kunoichi (and the betrayal burns because betrayals are always something you never see coming), and belongs to no clan. This means that all her skills are most likely to be derived from Uzushio's own teachings. Jakkaru's skills are also founded on what Uzushio has taught the ANBU, but it means he understands such skills._

 _Although knowing a skill does not mean Jakkaru will be able to track someone with the same skill, he's hopeful. It doesn't matter than he isn't part of the Hunting and Tracking Division; he's willing to try his best. Besides, he has the basics of tracking down – like any other ANBU does._

 _In the end, though, tracking isn't too hard – Matsumoto had clearly been injured (she deserves death for her betrayal and this is what Jakkaru brings) by the ANBU team she had tried to kill. Bloodstains and footsteps are easy to follow, and even when both fade, at this point Jakkaru has followed the obvious track long enough to pick up on the subtler hints._

 _Jakkaru knows that he needs to move quickly, as he has been so far. Matsumoto has a lead on him – a few days, at least. He hadn't been told how long it took for the ANBU team to return to Uzushio and report the traitor, but the members having been in such bad condition means that it would've taken them days to do what Jakkaru managed in hours._

 _Even though Matsumoto is injured, there's the possibility she healed sufficiently to increase her pace, but Jakkaru's pretty sure that the missing-nin would be focussing on lengthening the distance between her and any ninjas Uzushio sent after her._

 _(There's a fire burning deep in Jakkaru's chest, it wraps bones in ash and is born of anger and hatred. Uzushio is Jakkaru's home, and to spite that and spurn it in every way, Jakkaru would bathe the world in blood for something like that to never happen.)_

 _(ANBU is darkness and within the darkness, ANBU can be found. Jakkaru is one of many, and Sasaki had been part of them – she should've known better to turn her back on the village that had held her for so many years. Uzushio has no room to love traitors.)_

 _The jackal-masked ANBU runs through the rest of the day, continuing steadily through the night, increasing his speed on the second day of his hunt; he's running out of time and the trail will go cold. Jakkaru cannot allow that to happen. He knows not how far the ANBU team Uzushio undoubtedly sent after him is, and even if he did know, he would not wait for them to catch up._

 _The distance between Matsumoto and Jakkaru decreases over the course of two days, and as the second night comes to a close, Jakkaru estimates that Matsumoto is only a few hours run ahead of him. He knows better than to engage in a fight during the day having gone without sleep for a few days. Both his awareness and his chakra levels are unlikely to let him win in a fight, and Jakkaru is confident enough to rest briefly, before catching up to Matsumoto and killing her._

* * *

Hanako Mura sends her teammate, Tsune Yamanaka, off to see if she can find least one of the rookies, while Hanako finds the any others. They've organised to meet up at headquarters in fifteen minutes, so Hanako's hoping they find the rookies fairly easily. However, her hopes aren't that high considering two of the three rookies are old ROOT members and therefore have no regular haunts.

Upon entering the Uchiha Clan Compound, Hanako is quickly approached by a stall owner. "Are you looking for Uchiha-sama?" The woman asks in a brusque manner, hands on her hips.

"Yes, would you know where I can find him?"

The woman whistles loudly – a long high pitched sound that cuts off abruptly. From somewhere nearby, a teenager approaches with a brindle dog by his side with a bright red collar on. Hanako notices that the teen has a bright red piece of fabric wrapped around his arm as well. "Tsuyoshi-san, can you escort this kunoichi to where Uchiha-sama and his friend are?"

Tsuyoshi bristles – his hostility obvious to Hanako's keen eye. "What d'ya want with him?" The boy demands, before the storeowner cuffs him gently on the head.

"She probably wants him for ninja business. C'mon kid, get your head in the game. You've got a position you're meant to be filling, remember? I doubt your Kaa-san wants to hear how you've been ruining the program before it's really kicked off," the storeowner says with a roll of her eyes. "Now get on with it, sorry Ninja-san."

"It's not a problem," Hanako responds, curious as to what the program in question is, but not about to ask about it. She wonders if Toru would be willing to tell her if she asks him directly.

Tsuyoshi frowns, but walks away without talking to Hanako. He murmurs something to the dog, and it bounds forwards. As they approach their end destination, Hanako can sense the pulses of chakra being used – but the chakra in question is familiar, and Hanako realises she can feel it in her ANBU tattoo.

"I can take it from here, Tsuyoshi-san," she says. "Thank you for your help."

"Whatever," Tsuyoshi grumbles, but just before he turns away he adds a mumbled, "Welcome."

Hanako shakes her head, and tries to remember if she had ever been like that as a teenager. She reaches the edge of a training field and pauses, watching two ninjas fight with kenjutsu, but with as basic jutsu occasionally thrown in. The two fighters are quick, but their actions show that the pair are familiar with one another, trusting them to attacks that have the potential to cause critical injuries or death.

However, Hanako has a reason to be here, and it's not to watch two ninjas spar. She spikes her chakra, and watches as the spar stops instantly, the two ninjas turning to face her. The pair approach, Toru a step ahead of the other ninja.

"Hanako-san?" He asks, "Do we have a mission?"

Hanako nods. "Yes, and the pair of you being together does make things easier. Tsune-san has gone to fetch Sora-chan; we are to meet back at headquarters as soon as possible. Prepare for a mission, meant to go for a week to two and a half weeks."

"Hai," Souma says softly. "Are we to report directly there?"

"Correct," Hanako says. "Is that a problem with either of you?"

Toru frowns, face becoming pinched by concern. "I just need to send a message," he says. His chakra flares as he whistles, and Hanako waits. A moment passes, and then another one, and just as she's about to say something, a dog bounds out of the bushes. Toru's chakra spikes again, but to a lesser extent, and he's then writing on paper and tucking it into the black-and-white dog's red collar. "Let's go," he says, casting a glance at the dog before turning to face Hanako. The trio head to ANBU Headquarters. A mission awaits them.

* * *

 _Jakkaru wakes up with the moon a pale disc above his head. At a guess, he'd say he slept for about three or four hours. Not that it matters at all. It's simple to pack up everything, as he had only put few traps and security measures up; he had been confident that there wasn't anyone nearby – he still is._

 _The low light overhead makes it harder to see the trial Jakkaru had been following earlier. Despite this, Jakkaru continues. His plan is based around the idea that Sasaki will stop to rest during the darkest part of the night, and ergo, it will be the best time for a ninja to strike._

 _He moves quickly, legs powered by chakra and his natural strength. Previously he had been closing the distance between himself and his quarry had closed at an extraordinary pace considering the head start his quarry had received. Now, he moves even faster, and the expanse between the two decreases rapidly._

 _Around Jakkaru, the world blurs, and even though the majority of his attention is on tracking the traitor, he's still aware of his surroundings. It's the only reason why he isn't killed when Matsumoto leaps out of a tree, tantō in hand. In a second, it seems to Jakkaru that everything falls silent. The world concentrating on the Uzushio-nin and the missing-nin._

 _The darkness aids them both, Jakkaru falling into the shadows to hide and Matsumoto waiting to attack from them. It's a stalemate for a brief moment, and then Jakkaru is jumping onto a branch above his head, kicking out. Matsumoto dodges, flipping and landing on a nearby branch. They both pause, once more._

 _Matsumoto laughs, harsh and cruel. A smirk curls on her face, and she shifts so she can lean against the trunk of the tree; the shadows envelop her like she's a welcome friend. "So, they sent you after me, hmm? Couldn't even spare someone else. Guess they thought they didn't need someone more important, I suppose. Can't say I'm surprised."_

 _"Riko Matsumoto, formally known as Kani of ANBU, you have been found a traitor to Uzushiogakure and henceforth labelled a missing-nin. Do you deny this in any way, shape, or form?" Jakkaru responds, not bothering to verbally spar with the traitor._

 _"It's not like you'd believe me if I said otherwise," Matsumoto spits back. "You Uzushio people are all too wrapped up in those with power. You ignore those below you; thinking those who don't come from a clan are unable to be powerful at all. I proved you wrong, made my mark, moved up the ranks to a high position. I got stuck there. I learnt that corruption is everywhere, you only need to be aware of it and look for it. They don't bother with the civilian-born ninjas. Have you noticed it? ANBU Captains, the ANBU Commander, the Uzukage – they're all clan ninjas. I'm going to be more than everyone though, and you won't stop me. You're still a newbie."_

 _Jakkaru's a clan ninja, part of the Mizushima Clan, but he's struggled to get where he is now. He's been part of the ANBU forces for little under a year, and he's fought every step of the way. He knows ninjas who aren't part of clans and in positions of power – most of the Uzushio council aren't part of clans._

 _"You're wrong," he says, words heavy, weighty with the meaning behind them. "It's not about the position you're born into, it's about who you are, what you decide to do with your power." Jakkaru charges, chakra rising within him, strengthening everything, sharpening his focus. He is an ANBU and is not kind as one, cannot afford to be kind in a position that demands obedience, that demands orders to be followed regardless of one's own opinions._

 _Matsumoto cannot know who Jakkaru is, will never understand that her words are always going to be ignored by the ANBU. She will never comprehend that Uzushio has made Jakkaru, forged him and shielded him, helped him and taught him. Uzushio is all that Jakkaru is and all that he ever will be. He is more than the village and the village is more than him, but they are the same at their cores. For Uzushio to be betrayed, Jakkaru will be the dagger in the dark, the whisper of an assassin's footsteps. He will be the ANBU that Uzushio has made him, because with a traitor, Uzushio is safe, and Jakkaru cannot allow that._

 _The fight is tough. Matsumoto is better than Jakkaru, experience beating his youth, but she is exhausted from running and still injured from when she turned on her team. Jakkaru, despite having managed to gain a few hours of rest, is still tired, but he lacks the bone-deep exhaustion that Matsumoto feels._

 _It's why he wins, too. He wins against Matsumoto's harsh laughter, her bitter smiles. He wins against her taijutsu, her sharp weapons. He wins against a missing-nin that betrayed Uzushio. It is a victory, and so he turns his back on blood-soaked ground, returning to Uzushio with a hitai-ate and a body sealed in a scroll._

* * *

Team 42-56 change into their ANBU gear. Black pants are slipped on, bandages wrapped from ankle to knee, before black sandals are put on. Then the sleeveless turtleneck – also black – is pulled on, then the gloves that stop halfway up the bicep, where they are wrapped with black bandages as well so they don't fall during the mission. Then the armour goes on – arm guards and torso armour. Lastly, there are the weapons – weapon pouches tied to legs and filled with weapons, swords placed away.

 _(Masks go on, but aren't they always there?)_

Eruku looks around at her team. They're still relatively new – three rookies, one ex-retiree, and her. They haven't quite clicked, but like Tsune had said, most teams don't come together until after their first mission. Eruku hopes the mission goes smoothly, but she knows better. This is ANBU, after all.

"Our mission is of A-rank. We are to investigate where ships have been disappearing off of Hi no Kuni's south-east coast. Our objective is to search for the ships and report our findings. Upon finding the cause, if possible, our objective changes to destroy the reason behind the ship's disappearance. Expectations are that the cause is a pirate cove taking more action and targeting trading ships – which are the only ships, thus far, that have disappeared, all of which contain goods," Eruku reports. "Questions?" The team remains silent.

"Very well. Chūi will have our backs. The rest of you are to stick between us and keep your wits about you. We will be within Hi no Kuni's borders, but I don't want to be dealing with any trouble. I'll have point. Follow me."

"Hai!"

* * *

 **The problem with clans is that they very rarely change, and old traditions aren't so much as made void as they are simply forgotten. In some cases, this is good – for the Hyūga Clan it simply means change is coming. Toru may remember who he had been, and even within Konoha, Uzushio is still a part of him. Meanwhile, Team 42-56 of the ANBU forces have been given their first mission.**

* * *

 _ **Well, that's the end of the Hyuuga arc. I considered showing more of what happened, but I didn't know how to write it and I really couldn't be bothered writing it.**_

 _ **With Riko Matsumoto, someone wanted more stuff on Uzushio, and I thought this would be a nice idea. I've got more to show for Uzushio as well, and that'll either appear throughout the last bit of this book or come back into the next book(s?).**_

 _ **Honestly, there's very little to say for this chapter, simply because it was more about getting through the last bits left of the plot. Good news is that the ANBU mission is the last thing I have planned for this book, and I then get to move into the interim book and start canon work with the following one.**_

 _ **Does anyone have anything they'd like to see in the two or something year gap between this book and the start of canon? I have a few ideas, but I think it'll probably be a book I come back to, as I fill it with one shots and so forth. However, if you have any characters or situations you'd like to see, feel free to comment.**_


	15. Perturbation

Upon arriving at their destination, Konoha ANBU Team 42-56 complete a brief surveillance of the nearby coast. Their mission is starting to look difficult based on how there are no obvious sights of pirates – there's been no signs of fighting or unknown ships, and they haven't managed to find any shipwrecks or debris from shipwrecks being washed up on shore. Attempting to locate the source of the disappearing ships is seeming to be harder than the team expected.

Eruku and Jakkaru return from the nearby town, having infiltrated to see what news they can hear from the citizens of the town, and meet up with the rest of their ANBU team.

"We don't know much," Eruku says quietly to her team as they gather amongst the trees a kilometre away from the coast. The sound of the ocean can still be heard on the wind. "The townspeople are confused and worried. They're assuming that pirates are at work here, but they know normally such things would result in debris being washed up. Like we saw earlier when we did a quick investigation on the coastline – there's no debris. There's a ship expected to be arriving in the next day, and there's been contact with the ship. The area that the ships are disappearing in will be reached by that ship at nightfall tonight."

"Do you want some of us to locate the ship that's coming?" Kirin asks. "We can split into two teams."

Eruku nods, the porcelain of her mask glinting briefly as the leaves above them rustle. "I think that's the best idea. Jakkaru-san, Kyatapirā-san, and myself will search along the coastline. That leaves Kirin-chūi and Ibisu-san to locate the ship and, if the ship's captain agrees, guard the ship and stay on board. Any questions?"

No one says anything. "Good," Eruku continues, "Kirin-chūi, Ibisu-san, the ship should be northward and easily found. May silence haunt your footsteps."

"May the earth shudder beneath your feet," Kirin responds quietly, and with barely a sigh, she and Ibisu quickly move out.

Jakkaru's gaze refocusses on Eruku. "What are we going to do?" He asks, endeavouring to keep his voice soft, even though there is no one around for ages, aside from his team.

"We're going to work our way along the coast," Eruku responds. "We'll be doing an actual investigation now, rather than the quick survey we did earlier. Keep an eye out for anything on the land and in the water. Remember to stay hidden – this is open land so it will be difficult, but do your best nonetheless." The remaining rookies nod, and Eruku stands, moving off towards the sound of the crashing waves. She hopes that this mission will end well with no causalities or injuries – but she knows better. She's ANBU after all.

* * *

Kirin feels distinctively uncomfortable as she continues to channel chakra to the soles of her feet, water splashing against her legs, causing the fabric to cling to her legs in an unwanted fashion. It isn't so much that the water is annoying and making her uncomfortable, but rather the fact she is out in the open – a clear target for anyone watching. Adding to her unease is her teammate; Kirin admits that it had been smart of Eruku to split the two ex-ROOT members up, just in case, but she is still uncertain whether they should even be part of the ANBU mission.

 _(There is no better way to test someone's loyalty then to plunge their teammate into the shark-infested water and watch their reaction.)_

:Target found: Ibisu signs to Kirin. :Plan?:

:Follow: Kirin signs back, frown hidden behind her porcelain mask. They're in Hi no Kuni's waters still, which means that the ship in question – the so-called target – is technically meant to listen to the Konoha ninjas and go along with their wishes. However, many civilians are anxious around ninjas, and would prefer to reject help when it comes to them unasked.

They're spotted a few kilometres before they reach the ship, understandable, but unwanted. Kirin's discontentment with the situation only increases. Still, it unnerves her. Ninjas aren't meant to be seen.

Upon reaching the ship, they're welcomed by the captain. The two ANBU members climb on board move quietly, making the ship's occupants uneasy, but the captain does nothing. "Thank you for being here to ensure our safety," the captain continues, once the pair are on board. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Kirin shakes her head. "We will keep watch while you go about your job, captain," she says, voice deeper than usual as a genjutsu ensures that the civilians – who are all incapable of breaking the genjutsu – don't hear her true voice.

The captain nods, eyes flickering nervously between Kirin and Ibisu. He nods to himself once more, and turns, hands on the wheel once more. Kirin signs a quick message to Ibisu, who nods, body blurring to the civilian eye, and stealthily investigates the ship. Meanwhile, Kirin slips back into the shadows of the mast, dark outfit blending in with the black shadows.

After surveying the main deck of the ship, Ibisu darts into the actual body of the ship itself. He finds the captain's bedroom, made up of a small bed and large desk that has a map laid over it. He also finds two other bedrooms with numerous hammocks – the sleeping spaces of the rest of the sailors, Ibisu assumes. There's a small kitchen, and the rest of the ship is cargo space – this shipment contains coal, timber, and wool. An odd collection of cargo, but Ibisu knows little in regards to ships carrying cargo, perhaps such a thing is normal.

Nevertheless, Ibisu quickly finishes up his inspection of the ship, taking care to remain out of sight of any of the crew members. He meets up with Kirin in the shadows of the mast and reports that there's nothing unusual on board. He's given a nod in return, and something in him takes notice of the acknowledgement, small as it is. Happiness – maybe. He isn't sure. It doesn't matter right now though. He has a mission to focus on, an objective to be completed, and – apparently – teammates to protect.

Ibisu's attention snaps outward, _(not to say that it hadn't been previously focussed on the events surrounding him, but it had waned, slightly),_ as a genjutsu settles around the ship, trying to grip his chakra system with gentle fingers – fingers that are freezing and cold and dangerous, but gentle nonetheless. A jerk of his chakra, and the genjutsu fractures. The rookie ANBU turns to his teammate, knowing protocol declares he looks to his superior teammate for what to do next.

:No chakra: Kirin signs to her teammate.

:What?:

:Chakra follow attention: Kirin attempts to explain, mentally cursing the fact that the ANBU signals left a lot of room for interpretation and very little room for precise, detailed plans. She understands that they had been created for the purpose of quick conversations in front of someone or when silence is necessary, but still – one would assume that someone could have made an improvement to the system in the years since its invention.

Ibisu nods, and Kirin is glad that the rookie managed to understand that they couldn't use chakra for fear it would grab the genjutsu user's attention. :Plan?: He signs back. Kirin pauses, hesitates, plans.

:Return to team: she signs back. :Alert team new details. Explain.: Kirin doesn't fully trust the ex-ROOT teammate, not to mention she doesn't know his stealth levels. Not to mention she's more experienced as an ANBU mission and they need to alert the rest of their team, _(their teamwork isn't up to Konoha ANBU standard just yet either)._

:Certain?: Ibisu signs back.

Kirin nods. :Easy sneak: she points out. :Go.:

With one glance around the ship, Ibisu finally agrees and sneaks off the boat, heading back to shore where the rest of his team awaits.

 _(Konoha depends on teamwork. They are in teams for a reason. One cannot be in a team if they are unable to trust one another.)_

* * *

Eruku glances at her two remaining teammates, and feels the absence of the third keenly. Ibisu had met up with her, Jakkaru, and Kyatapirā not too long ago, explaining that Kirin had gone on with the ship, deciding that it had been better the team know rather than have two members go missing.

Although Kirin's decision isn't exactly wrong, Eruku isn't impressed with it. She's lost too many teammates to death when they decide to go somewhere alone. Nonetheless, she waits with her teammates near the port where the ship was meant to be moored an hour ago. It hadn't been sighted yet, and Eruku knows she's worried – about the mission, about her teammate, about the outcome.

An hour passes, and then another, as the third hours begins to passes, Eruku finally sees a distant speck out on the ocean, moving rapidly towards them. She goes to alert her fellow teammates, but they're already paying attention to the moving speck, and she would say they look hopeful except they're in ANBU so they're not. They can't afford to be.

Nonetheless, Eruku cannot deny the fact she feels relief upon realising that the speck in question is Kirin. The other ANBU appears out of breath, but recovers quickly enough that Eruku doesn't pay any more attention to it. "Report on both what you found and any injuries; injuries first," Eruku orders quietly, once Kirin has joined their small hidden group near the port.

"Bruises and cuts," Kirin responds quickly, "nothing major or worth healing. It's better to save our chakra, I think. I fought my way out at the end, but I managed to get the drop on most of those around." Judging on her appearance, Eruku doubts that the other ANBU is lying – there are few slashes through her clothing, plus she doesn't seem to be limping nor is her chakra indicating any major problems that need to be taken into account.

"I didn't see much," Kirin begins, "I thought it was best to leave that until we were there are as a team and therefore stronger. Did Ibisu-kun tell you of the genjutsu?" Eruku nods again. "Well, the genjutsu manipulated the sailors to take the ship into harbour in a small island; I can lead us too it easily. There's a large network of caves, or – at least – I'm assuming so, as the island looks deserted otherwise. I went briefly down one of the passages – it looks like it had been a mine at some point. However, when the ship first pulled into harbour, the people on the ship were put in chains. It's likely that it's a base for a human trafficking organisation of some sort. Mizu no Kuni, most likely, since it's the only landmass nearby that I would consider involved in a human trafficking ring."

"Did you see or find any signs of ninjas?" Eruku questions, Kirin shakes her head. Eruku hums in thought, "There are probably ninjas there whether you saw them or not – the genjutsu is indicative of that. There are a few hours left of daylight. Kirin how long do you expect it to take for us to get to the island?"

"An hour at most, half an hour minimum," Kirin replies. "It's hard to say. Nonetheless, it isn't too far away – it's just whether the ocean will be easy to manoeuvre or not."

"Very well," Eruku says. She glances around at her team, taking in porcelain masks – symbols of their Konoha allegiance. She looks at Kirin, a Yamanaka behind her mask, a clan ninja with a mask, proud, strong. She looks at Jakkaru, Uchiha behind his mask, a quiet and unassuming ninja without his mask, dangerous, strong. She looks at Kyatapirā, a lost adult behind her mask, obedience with a mask, confused, yet strong nonetheless. She looks at Ibisu, an unsure adult behind his mask, a child soldier with a mask, struggling, yet strong despite it all.

 _(Eruku looks at her team and thinks, thinks of them as people and ninjas, but also considers them as ANBU and weapons, tools, soldiers without personalities and opinions. She looks and she plans.)_

A moment of silence passes, and then another, and a plan forms in Eruku's mind. "Okay," she says, and the others focus on her. It seems as if the world around her becomes forgotten, and the complete attention of her team is something heavy indeed. "As the sun gets starts setting, we're going to move out to the island. When we get to the island, we're going to split into the same groups and remain in these groups – no separating this time. Understood?" Everyone nods. "Good. Kirin-chūi, Ibisu-kun – you're going to scout the tunnels, but avoid making direct contact with anyone. Your aim is to simply scout the number of enemies and locate the missing people. Myself, Jakkaru-kun, and Kyatapirā-chan will explore the harbour and see what happens with the goods and the ships themselves. Questions?"

No one says anything. Withholding a sigh, Eruku turns her attention out to the sea. "Then we wait," she says, and that is that.

* * *

Ibisu gives himself over to the mission, any emotions or thoughts that aren't related to the mission slip to the back of his mind. The world doesn't change, doesn't alter itself to his new thought pattern. The unknown, confusing human known as Souma _(and he doesn't know who Souma is, might never know, but that doesn't matter right now; he isn't Souma right now)_ becomes a thing of the past, a tiny box chained in the back of his mind. He is Ibisu. Konoha ANBU. The mission is his life, and he owes it everything. If it requires his death, then he will die for it, _(he is now meant to die for his teammates as well)_.

Once ANBU Team 42-56 reach the island, Kirin and Ibisu slip away from their teammates. Ibisu easily shadows Kirin, watching his back, _(watching her back and for once he doesn't have to think how easy it would be to sever a spinal cord, to break a neck, to kill a teammate for a mission objective – such a thought gives him strange feelings, and maybe Souma would label it as gratitude, but he is Ibisu)_. Kirin leads Ibisu forward, steps measured, silent. She is sure of where she is going, and Ibisu can do nothing else but follow his superior – following his superior has never been a problem, and Ibisu does such a thing with ease.

Down twisting hallways, through shadowed corridors, the pair continue into the depths of the cave system. As Kirin takes the left pathway at a fork in the hallway, Ibisu pauses, tilting his head and channelling chakra into his ears. He can hear something down the other pathway – voices and the clinking of chains.

Turning back to look at him, Kirin pauses. :What?: She signs at Ibisu.

:Sound: Ibisu signs back, :target?:

:No contact: Kirin reminds Ibisu.

Frowning, Ibisu responds, :Missing targets. Investigate.:

The ANBU lieutenant hesitates, visibly wavering, and then nods. :Lead; I'll follow.:

Ibisu moves quietly down the passage, focussing on the sounds he can hear and ensuring that no one is coming towards them. Trusting Kirin to watch his back, Ibisu stops in front of a closed door. It isn't the first closed – and potentially locked door – the pair have come across, and they've scouted the rest, so Ibisu assumes that they'll do the same thing again. After finding the door is locked, Ibisu uses a kunai, sharpened with a careful application of wind chakra, to break through the feeble lock.

Pushing open the door, relief fills Ibisu as he recognises that the multitude of people in the room are all chained to the ground and one another – the mission ones that Kirin and he had been tasked to find. He turns to Kirin to tell her the good news, knowing full well that they need to report this to their taichō.

Ibisu dodges the first blow that Kirin lashes out with _(why)_ , her fist just missing his chin. He avoids the second _(he hurts)_ and third blow _(he must be seriously ill – his heart aches)_ , finally responding with a kick, forcing Kirin to back away from him in a moment. He doesn't understand what's happening, but his heart is racing in a way that it never has before _(and it aches like a bruise on the bone)_. He exchanges another set of blows with Kirin, and his last one smashes through her defence and into her mask. The porcelain giraffe mask shatters, cutting both Kirin _(traitor)_ and him. Ibisu pulls his hand back to him, the various cuts bleeding around the embedded piece of porcelain _(isn't this ironic)_. In this moment of weakness, Kirin takes the upper hand _(weakness is his downfall; he should've listened to old orders and old advice)_. Emotionless face, bereft of a soldier's mask _(another mask and another oen and another one – and all they are are masks)_ , Kirin hits Ibisu in the head, and he is unconscious before his body even hits the ground.

After picking up the body of her comrade, Kirin will report to someone other than Eruku, and Ibisu will be left behind in chains.

 _(Betrayal is something you will never see coming.)_

* * *

Jakkaru stiffens as Kirin slips out of a nearby passage, Ibisu no longer behind her. In front of him, both Eruku and Kyatapirā react – Eruku's shoulder rising with tension and Kyatapirā's left hand forming a fist.

"They caught him," Kirin hisses out, voice quiet but filled with self-loathing and anger and hate. "They caught him and they left too quickly for me to follow, but I tracked them. I know where the targets are. Ibisu is there too – he's alive."

The rest of the ANBU team relax slightly, relieved to hear that their missing teammate is not dead. But – but he might be soon, and that's a worry. This is their first ANBU mission, _(ANBU missions are hard, but one doesn't ever want to leave behind a teammate dead or alive)_. Scanning Kirin, Jakkaru note her missing mask and the cuts on her face – it probably broke, but other than, the ANBU seems to be alright.

"We'll go get Ibisu," Eruku says decisively, "but remember the mission objective is to shut down the human trafficking ring. New secondary objective is to save our teammate, understood?" Everyone nods. "Good. Kirin-chūi lead the way."

The ANBU silently leads the way, and the four Konoha ninjas stick to the shadows, senses on edge and wary to everything. There is a calmness to them, or perhaps – a better description might be – a stillness, _(the calm before the storm; the silence before the death; the stillness of a hunting predator)_.

Jakkaru finds it strange that they come across no one, yet – at the same time – he remains unsurprised. Their teammate has been captured, and that means that whoever is behind all this is readying themselves for the ANBU team's approach. In the back of his mind, he's slightly worried – to get a drop on not only an ANBU member but an ex-ROOT member requires stealth and strength. Not to mention, Kirin hadn't been able to follow the speed at which the attackers had moved at. It's worrying _(it reminds him of a time when he couldn't see the speed at which his attacker moved and the next second he's on the ground and bleeding, bleeding, bleeding, and dying as the rest of his clan is massacred around him)_. Ahead of them definitely lies an ambush of some description, but there is little the ANBU team can do but keep moving forward.

They pause, a few rooms away from where Ibisu is kept, able to sense the chakras of the nearby ninjas but trying to avoid detection. Eruku turns to the remaining members of her team, and Jakkaru focusses on her. :Jakkaru, sneak; Ibisu: she signs to him, and Jakkaru nods. :Kirin, Kyatapirā, Eruku: she continues signing, :mission primary objective – destroy human captive organisation. Mission secondary objective – Ibisu.:

The rest of the team nods, and as Kirin, Eruku, and Kyatapirā move forward, Jakkaru hangs back a second and triggers the henge, his body seeming to merge with his surroundings. He's careful to keep his chakra a low, steady pulse – a tiny flicker of flame hiding behind his breastbone, and ensures that the output of chakra from the jutsu mimics the feeling of natural chakra.

Then, they are on the room where Ibisu is being kept. Eruku, Kirin, and Kyatapirā launch themselves in, chakra cresting as it's no longer hidden. Jakkaru follows much more slowly, trying to remain undetected as he moves toward Ibisu.

Even as he approaches, Jakkaru surveys the room. There are five ninjas plus his team – four are engaging the three members of his team, whilst the fifth stands back next to someone who's chakra system appears like a civilian's – the person in control, most likely. The ninja not fighting is more than likely ninja behind all the genjutsu. The two not fighting – civilian and genjutsu master – appear at ease, and the worrying in Jakkaru's stomach intensifies; he ignores it, _(ignores the niggling feeling at the back of his mind telling him to look closer at the details, to look and look and look – he doesn't look; he doesn't want to look)_.

Ibisu is on the opposite side of the room, unconscious and held up by chains. It's difficult, but as the fighting stretches, the sound and bursts of chakra act in Jakkaru's favour, and he's able to eventually reach Ibisu. He moves quickly now, knowing the time until his discovery is running out fast. Without bothering to grab a kunai, he sends wind chakra into his hand and breaks the chain with a combination of chakra and sheer strength. He grabs Ibisu's limp body, and leaps backward as a ninja attacks, moving back towards the sole entrance point in the cave.

Behind his team, Jakkaru feels safe enough to put Ibisu down behind him, knowing there is no time to aid his teammate. His team is still fighting, but it is clear that they are winning. Even now, two of the five ninjas are down. But, even now, the genjutsu master has yet to join in the fighting.

Hesitating, Jakkaru lets the henge fade, weighing the idea of killing the civilian – and, by extension, the genjutsu master – and retreating to help Ibisu. He thinks about which one will be easiest to achieve and help complete the mission in the long run. He thinks, yet there is no time to think in a fight, and Jakkaru has little else to do but join in the fighting, leaping forward to aid Kyatapirā against one of the enemy ninjas.

It's hard, because Jakkaru uses ninjutsu primarily, but he can't use most of his ninjutsus for fear of destabilising the entire cave system and bringing the roof down on his teammates' heads. Nonetheless, Kyatapirā and Jakkaru defeat their enemy, a sword through their heart, a kunai across their throat.

The pair turn to face the genjutsu master and civilian. In that moment, though, the genjutsu master raises his hands, forms one sign, and everything-

 _(He should have looked closer; the clues had all been there. He should've known. He's been here before, experienced this before but-)_

 _(Wanting to see the best in a person had ruined him; in this moment, a strength had become a flaw and he had fell for it and-)_

 _(Betrayal is something you never see coming from anyone.)_

Eruku is only just able to dodge Kirin's attack, the tantō scraping along armour. Jakkaru is stuck, for a moment, watching as Kirin fights Eruku, watching as Eruku fights back, unable to do anything else as she's forced to focus solely on Kirin as the pair go all out. The genjutsu master and the civilian continue to stand back and watch, _(and something in Jakkaru aches fiercely, aches with something like hate and something else that he doesn't want to put a name to)_.

Here are the facts – Kirin has perhaps betrayed her team; there is a genjutsu master who is extremely strong; there is a civilian leading the whole operation and needs to be killed; Ibisu is unconscious and possibly seriously injured; Jakkaru and Kyatapirā are free for the moment but will more than likely lose if they attempt to attack in the current moment. In the end, it comes down to this – the mission will fail with the way it is currently going.

Glancing at Eruku and Kirin fighting once more, Jakkaru turns to Kyatapirā, who seems as unsure as he is. "Come," Jakkaru says, finally making a decision. He turns around, grabbing Ibisu and flees, Kyatapirā trailing behind him.

The genjutsu master moves, Jakkaru can tell by the ninja's chakra system moving, but Jakkaru and Kyatapirā are fast – even with Ibisu acting as a dead weight. Although they don't know where they are or have the ability to get to the surface, the rookies continue racing silently further into the depths of the cave. They run and they run and they run. Then, they find a small hole in the roof and push themselves into the small alcove. Now they can talk without fear of being overheard.

Placing a hand on Ibisu's forehead, Jakkaru activates a medical jutsu, using enough chakra to wake Ibisu and get a gauge of his health. Ibisu comes to with a hard punch, landing it against Jakkaru's shoulder when he isn't quick enough to move. There's a quick fight, and then Kyatapirā and Jakkaru have Ibisu pinned down and the shinobi calms down, realising who he is around.

Kyatapirā turns to Jakkaru, and Jakkaru realises that he's now viewed as the superior in charge of the mission, _(it isn't hard to slip into a commanding role; it may have been a long time since he was an ANBU Captain, but he hasn't forgotten)_. "What happened?" Jakkaru asks quietly of Ibisu.

"I found the missing people," Ibisu begins slowly, "but Kirin-chūi attacked me when I went to tell her what I had found. I was knocked unconscious and then you woke me up."

Jakkaru nods at Kyatapirā who explains what happened on their end to Ibisu. When she's done, Jakkaru asks, "Do you think Kirin-chūi was on their side or do you think this is something else entirely?" And this Jakkaru has to wonder, because the clues had been there and had been obvious and ANBU members don't do obvious.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was a genjutsu," Kyatapirā says eventually. "There could be some underlying mental trigger," she continues slowly, "causing her to be controlled through a genjutsu."

"We can't be sure though," Ibisu points out, voice bland, emotionless, _(too emotionless, because sometimes to avoid breaking you try to feel nothing)._ "It might be a genjutsu but it might not be one."

"Then we knock Kirin-chūi out until the genjutsu master has been killed," Kyatapirā counters, "that way we can figure out if she is or isn't on our side."

There are words on the tip of Jakkaru's tongue, plans clenched between his teeth, hidden behind a persona that hides tricks and abilities because it is the only way to survive in this world. And yet… Jakkaru's team is in front of him – part of his team, because the other member _(s)_ are fighting, left behind so that they could survive. You don't leave teammates behind – you bring them home, dead or alive. You bring them home and if you can't, then you bring hell down on those who made the situation that way.

"I may be able to use my summons to stop the genjutsu master and Kirin-chūi," Jakkaru finally says. "I can have them inject a paralysing agent into Kirin-chūi, which will take ten minutes to take her down. The same goes for the genjutsu master – but they will die ten minutes after the poison has been injected."

"Won't they notice their reflexes slowing and when they become infected with the agent in question?" Ibisu asks, and Jakkaru nods.

"Unfortunately, yes; that means that we'll need to keep the pair involved in a fight to keep them from noticing," Jakkaru explains.

"We can probably take Kirin-chūi together," Kyatapirā replies, "but the other ninja will be a problem. I can use genjutsu well, but it'd be pointless against a genjutsu master, and my taijutsu isn't the best. Jakkaru, you primarily use ninjutsu but that could be problematic and genjutsu is one of your flaws. Ibisu, your taijutsu is the best but you're still injured from earlier." And this is the crux of the matter, there's three of them up against a genjutsu master, their own teammate, and potentially their ANBU Captain. There in a situation that there is no obvious way to win.

 _(And Jakkaru can feel his chakra pounding with him like the ocean that constantly pounds against the sand of the beach. And he thinks of seals that can be used. And what of Eruku, who they left, who must still be fighting and fighting and it's entirely possible that she has been killed or she's been forced underneath a genjutsu and they have no way of knowing anything.)_

Seals – seals are the obvious answer, obvious in the way that nothing is obvious about Jakkaru. Jakkaru is Uzushio and Konoha, Mizushima and Uchiha and Uzumaki, a fighter and a soldier, living in peace and living in war, alive and dead. Uzushio. Konoha.

Paralysing seals, he thinks to himself, would be useful. Maybe his skill level with seals isn't up to where he wants it to be – but his thinking is founded on Uzushio's levels, and in this world _(in this ruined world where Uzushio fell and has become lost and no one seems to care and everything they've ever managed has been forgotten and remains lost to history)_ , that level is still a high level.

"If we're all working together, the three of us, it might be possible to use numbers to keep the genjutsu master occupied for long enough," Jakkaru says quietly. "I can use paralysing seals to stop Kirin-chūi and, if necessary, Taichō so that they are unable to interfere. Afterwards, I can join you both in fighting and we can keep the fight going for long enough until the poison kicks in."

"What about the mission objective?" Kyatapirā reminds the other rookies. "We need to take out the civilian."

"True," Jakkaru replies. "Primary objective is to take out the civilian, and then I'll paralyse Taichō and Kirin-chūi, while you continue to fight the genjutsu master. Take him out if you can, but if you can't remember all we have to do is hold out for long enough."

"That's the plan then?" Ibisu asks, attention on Jakkaru, focus on Jakkaru – and Jakkaru is leading. It might be considered strange by an outsider, that the youngest member of the team – in age, in ninja experience, and in ANBU experience – is taking charge, but leading has never been based on such inane qualities. There is more to leading then having experience, and living as ninjas do, they are all aware of this.

"If you both agree," Jakkaru says. Kyatapirā and Ibisu nod. "Then that's the plan." Jakkaru flicks through the hand signs for the summoning technique and calls a flicker of chakra away from the rest of his hidden chakra. There's a brief burst of smoke, and a green-and-blue cockroach appears on Jakkaru's hand. "Naoki-san, will you be willing to help me?"

Naoki surveys Jakkaru, glances at his teammates, and does not speak his name. "Why does someone need to die?"

"So that my teammates can live, so that I can live, so a human trafficking ring can end," Jakkaru replies. "For reasons that exist and for a mission that needs to be finished, but mainly for people to survive."

"And for that," Naoki responds, "I will aid you. Who, then, need I kill?"

"A genjutsu master," Jakkaru explains, "my two teammates here will be engaging them in a fight. Are you able to release your venom into them?"

"Yes," Naoki says with a nod of his head. "Are you capable of surviving in this fight? You are still new to the jama-mono."

"Survival is not guaranteed," Jakkaru answers, "but I have a multitude of reasons to live."

"Very well," the cockroach replies, leaping onto Kyatapirā's arm and hiding himself. "Let us all go and win a fight."

* * *

 **For an ANBU mission to go well is a blessing, for an ANBU mission to go wrong is a normality. And with mistakes made, trust is broken, and along with it is teamwork. Kirin's betrayal leaves her ANBU team in tatters, and with the rookies forced to abandon their captain, their mission becomes something akin to a suicide mission. Three rookies are left, but whether they will succeed in the mission is unknown. After all, saving their teammates is the secondary objective here.**

* * *

 _ **When I use colons (:) it means that a person is signing rather than talking. In this chapter, specifically, the sign language used would be known to Konoha ANBU only. For example:**_

 _ **:Go: Eruku orders - this would mean that using hand gestures, Eruku would order her team or a person to go without actually needing to say anything. You can see why it would be useful, no?**_

 _ **This is the second last chapter of this book. It ended up bring broken into two, and I'm about halfway through the second part now. I don't believe I have much to say about this chapter, but I'll take a quick read through it and see if I think anything might need to be explained further just for fun.**_

 _ **Fun fact about Kirin forcing Ibisu off of the ship - she doesn't trust him. Not a big surprise considering he was a ROOT ninja, but yeah, definite problem and something you don't want in ANBU - you expect everyone to trust their teammates to have their back. Unfortunately, Kirin didn't (well, that might not be the case actually...).**_

 _ **Also, yes, Jakkaru totally could've seen that betrayal coming. There were details and hints all over the place. However, he doesn't want to look for the hints and so forth. Jakkaru wants to believe that people don't betray others, wants to believe in trust, and trust that there is good in people. It's a flaw occasionally, especially in this situation.**_

 _ **Anyway, I think that's all I have to say for the current chapter? Not very much, which I'm not too surprised about. There's no actual plot or anything anymore, I just thought it'd be good to include Jakkaru's first ANBU mission (and, I mean, it does include some character development and information for future events that would've gone unknown unless I wrote it in the interim book (of which I've figured some plot points out, but will have to deal with later) or explained in the next book.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_


	16. Denouement

_***narrows eyes at Shy911* Have you got... the seer ability? Regardless, enjoy this!**_

 _ **Also, this is the LAST CHAPTER of this book, but the good news is that there is another book in the series (a few, actually). The first one is Ocean's Own Stories, and simply will contain random scenes and so forth that occur between Current Strength and Tideswept, which is technically the next book and has the start of canon. I'll put up Ocean's Own Stories up now and then Tideswept, which may take a bit longer since I have to get the chapters up on here and everything. Anyway, Enjoy!**_

* * *

Before they leave their hidden location, Jakkaru cuts two small squares of fabric from the black wrapping around his left ankle. He sketches a paralysing seal on each bit of fabric using his blood as ink. It's not his preferred method of using seals. However, he can't use chakra to apply the seals as otherwise Eruku and Kirin will be forever stuck with a chakra seal on their bodies that can be easily activated. Nonetheless, the seals should still work since Jakkaru's chakra can easily interact with the blood that forms the seal. It should work, _(there is no room for believing it won't)_.

As the trio of ANBU rookies move towards their teammates, there is a nanosecond where they are able to sense Eruku through their ANBU tattoo, her chakra flaring before disappearing without any notice, becoming hidden to their senses – like Kirin, like the rest of them. Ibisu, Kyatapirā, and Jakkaru are all sure that something is wrong, even if they are unaware to what, exactly, is actually wrong.

Near to where their enemies lie in wait, the trio pauses, chakra sliding along Jakkaru's limbs, his body being claimed by the darkness of the cave, his porcelain mask becoming lost to the surroundings. If his teammates are perturbed by the ninja seemingly disappearing without warning, there is no sign of it. Together, the pair venture onward, minds settled, training and instincts melded in their limbs, _(soldiers to the core, soldiers with masks, tools and sharpened weapons finally unsheathed, killers and murderers with no choice to be otherwise)_.

After the pair fling themselves into the room, chakra no longer carefully contained and hidden, Jakkaru follows. He moves quickly, because he cannot afford to move slowly. There is no hesitation in his movements, in his mind. There is no room for it, either.

 _(This is Jakkaru of the ANBU.)_

He flips off of the ceiling, landing between Eruku and Kirin, seals slammed against their torsos. His chakra flares, the seals glow with the chakra that's pushed through. Kirin and Eruku fall down, fall silent, and there is no more time to see if what was meant to happen actually happened.

It is easy, from there, to half-turn, kunai gripped in his hand, then thrown. The civilian collapses backward, hand coming to rest on the hilt buried in their torso. They're dead before they even hit the ground.

 _(This is not Jakkaru's worry. His mission is complete, but now he must survive it as well.)_

Jakkaru's two teammates leap back as Jakkaru charges forward, finally able to take a breather. Jakkaru flips through two different sets of hand seals, sending fire bullets charging towards the genjutsu master, only to cancel them seconds later as his enemy dodges. He follows up with a water clone forming beside him, and then the enemy is upon them. They engage in a taijutsu battle, dodging blows made to crush and break his bonds, avoiding attacks that aim to kill and seriously injure. The water clone dies with a fist through its torso, but in exchange, Jakkaru manages to land a heavy kick to his enemy's knee, flipping backwards as his opponent lashes out once again.

The moment he moves backward, Ibisu moves forward. Whilst their enemy struggles to deal with the harm Jakkaru's kick did, Ibisu forces them to keep moving, pushing the ANBU team's advantage.

All too soon, though, Ibisu fails to defend properly, receiving a glancing blow to his head. His hand snaps sideways, and coupled with the head injury the ANBU had received earlier, Ibisu staggers – a moment of weakness, a quick way to die in this fight.

But then, Kyatapirā and Jakkaru are there, Kyatapirā standing in front of Ibisu and keeping him from obtaining another injury or being killed, whilst Jakkaru continuously moves, flipping and ceaselessly shifting. Their enemy is forced to be on their defence, and there is no time to think or talk, but the three ANBU rookies do not need it. They are a team.

 _(It is simple to say you are part of a team, that you are a teammate. It is easy to say that you belong, easy to converse and survive with other ninjas on a mission. Teamwork for many villages is viewed as unnecessary, unneeded. Konoha has always held a different view to most villages, extolling the virtues of teamwork, labelling teams as necessary, but never once writing the importance of teamwork down, letting it become something well known and oft spoken about, but never a law unto itself.)_

 _(It cannot be denied that there is teamwork within Konoha – genin teams, chūnin squads, jōnin pairs, and a mismatch grouping of all three. But then, there are ANBU teams. ANBU where there are soldiers and killers and murders, where there are tools and weapons behind a mask and never a person. ANBU where teammates can die on a first mission. ANBU where missions are sometimes alone or in pairs, and frequently end in death. ANBU teams are considered at length, the members both masked and not, carefully analysed to allocate teams that will have their best chances at surviving together. ANBU teams that are usually together for a team before everyone is shuffled around.)_

 _(Hence, there are teams and then there are ANBU teams, and they're a whole different story. There are teams where you must trust your life to someone, and ANBU teams where you must trust everything with someone. ANBU teams have to work together without ever hesitating, know what one is thinking without ever speaking, be able to duck without ever being told. ANBU teams are living and breathing not as yourself but as someone else and as part of a whole. It's being a part of a machine to keep it working.)_

 _(So when three ANBU rookies do not to speak to fight together, it isn't a lie. They are fighting together because they are capable of fighting against one another and working together. Their bodies are on the line because it must be so.)_

Soon enough, Ibisu is up once again, and tantō drawn, using his extended reach to fend the genjutsu master off. Through engaging with kenjutsu, Ibsiu is able to keep their enemy from employing genjutsu as a way to attack back. Drawing their own individual weapons, Jakkaru and Kyatapirā help Ibisu, forming a triad and forcing their enemy to focus on all of them rather than a single one. In doing this, they cover each other's mistakes and each ANBU has a nanosecond to recover from a near miss before throwing themselves back into the fighting.

 _(This is what an ANBU team does when they work together.)_

They are a formidable team, but this does not equate to winning. They are not winning – but they are not losing slowly either, and that's enough. It's all they need. They just need to keep holding on, keep fighting, ignore their screaming muscles, their gasping lungs, the sweat lingering on their bodies beneath their armour. They simply need to endure the fight for a bit longer.

Despite the fact time seems to stretch infinitely during a fight, Jakkaru is certain that the ten minute mark is almost upon them. His assumption is bolstered as Kyatapirā's tantō sinks deep into their enemy's bicep.

The genjutsu master grunts, staggering backwards, before charging forward, dipping beneath Kyatapirā's tantō and leaping over Ibisu's following overhead attack, and then punching Jakkaru in the sternum, chakra laced up his arm. Jakkaru flies backward, hitting the wall of the cave with a loud thump, but stands up quickly. However, Ibisu and Kyatapirā hold back for a second, caution in their movements, a moment of stillness to get a grasp on the situation.

The genjustu master rapidly flicks through hand seals, even as Ibisu and Kyatapirā move towards them, Jakkaru lurching forward from behind them. They are too late, and their enemy bares bloodied teeth at them, slamming their hands down onto the earthen floor.

All around them, the walls start shuddering – an earthquake. Ibisu channels chakra into his tantō, and in a clean, swift cut, behinds their enemy, but the earthquake doesn't stop. It makes Ibisu feel slightly better, but even he had been able to tell that the earth ninjutsu had taken almost all of their enemy's chakra.

Without speaking, the three Konoha-nin hurry to leave the caves behind, all too aware of the heightened possibility of a cave-in. Kyatapirā grabs Kirin whilst Jakkaru grips Eruku. Ibisu leads the way out, tantō in one hand and chakra tersely coiling around his limbs.

The ANBU team bursts out of a cave entrance, and the trio are quick to step on board one of the captured ships, rocking with the waves caused by the earthquake. Kyatapirā and Jakkaru let go of Eruku and Kirin, but Jakkaru is aware they can't afford to take the seals off of Kirin and Eruku until the rest of his team is in better condition.

The land seems to be rumbling with the earthquake still, and Ibisu suddenly straightens, facing the cave entrance. He seems to be warring with himself for a moment, before taking off. Jakkaru and Kyatapirā don't exchange a glance as they leave their paralysed teammates to race after their third, wayward one.

"Ibisu!" Kyatapirā calls out as they decrease the distance between them and the other masked ninja.

"The enslaved people!" Ibisu calls back, and Jakkaru curses as he pours on the speed.

The triad rapidly reach where the enslaved people are, and there isn't enough time to help everyone. They can't use the body flicker to take the civilians back to their ships either, as the jutsu can wreak havoc on chakra systems that aren't exercised. "Kyatapirā, get out into that hallway and try to stabilise the pathway we used to get in, we can't afford to exit another way it might bring the whole place down on top of us. Ibisu, we're gonna be running these people out and leaving them on their ships for now. Take as many as you can."

Jakkaru grabs two people, not able to tell them anything more because there is no time, but hesitates before leaving, "We go before everything collapses," he adds, hating to say it but the lives of his teammates are more important than the civilians they are trying to rescue.

 _(Some ninjas will say that these are acceptable losses, but there are those who would abhor leaving people behind, preferring to die trying to rescue them all. Jakkaru hates having to do it, but he had been an ANBU Captain and an ANBU Commander. There are some losses that aren't acceptable, but are better than the alternative. It might be a selfish way to live – weighing the lives of those he knows to those he doesn't know and choosing the former, but it is the way he lives.)_

On his fifth trip, Jakkaru can see that Kyatapirā's strength is wavering. "Kyatapirā drop it," he orders. "Help us now." There are fourteen people left remaining, and thankfully, most have starting moving towards the entrance so there is less distance to run. Nevertheless, Jakkaru is worried. Fourteen people means two trips each and one ninja to go a third time; and with no one holding up the cave they are in, their time is probably down to minutes, if not seconds.

Kyatapirā takes seizes two people, Jakkaru following behind her with another two, and then they are running, Ibisu soon joining them. They are outside the cave ten seconds later, placing the civilians down on the deck of a ship _(it's been fifteen seconds and he needs to be faster)_ , but then Kyatapirā collapses on the deck of a ship. She tries to force herself up to help.

"Stay," Jakkaru orders, knowing that the ninja will be more of a hindrance than a help in her current stop. He's running back towards the cave system with Ibisu at his side once again. They each select two more people, _(and it's been forty-five seconds since Kyatapirā stopped using her chakra to hold the caves up),_ and they're sprinting out once more, chakra forced through their muscles and feeling nothing more than panic and adrenaline and pain.

 _(It's been a minute.)_

They turn around, ready to go save the last remaining civilians, and in front of their eyes, the cave system falls inward, collapsing. Jakkaru hesitates, but none of his team have any chakra to spare searching for civilians that have probably died. He spins around, racing back toward the ship where Kyatapirā and Eruku and Kirin all wait.

Kyatapirā is leaning heavily against the ship's railing encircling the deck. Kirin and Eruku are tied at her feet. She's obviously exhausted, but she's alert and hiding Kirin's face from any civilian trying to look, but the civilians are all too busy prepping the ship to leave the harbour.

Slinging Eruku over his shoulder, Jakkaru turns to Kyatapirā. "Trip back?" He asks.

"I'll manage," Kyatapirā says confidently, but whether he believes her – or if she believes what she says – remains unknown. Worst case scenario, Jakkaru can carry both Eruku and Kyatapirā.

Nodding at her, Jakkaru looks to Ibisu who has picked up Kirin. He nods at Jakkaru. Before they leave, a hurried-looking civilian pauses in front of them. She bows deeply. "Thank you ANBU-sama," she says. "Konohagakure, and your companions, have our thanks."

Jakkaru nods once more; a singular, sharp movement. He leaps over the side of the ship, landing heavily on the water, chakra strengthening his ankles and feet as he lands. Ibisu alights beside him, sending water splashing upwards. Kyatapirā stumbles when she jumps down, chakra faltering and sending her sinking beneath the waves, but a hand from both Ibisu and Jakkaru keep her from descending further, keeping her above the water until she gathers enough chakra to properly keep her above the ocean.

The team struggle forward, waves threatening to push any one of balance and send them plummeting into the depths of the sea. Nevertheless, together the three rookies preserve onward, keeping themselves upright and moving through sheer determination. Not once, in the long trek across the water, do they lose focus or falter long enough to drown. They depend on one another, occasionally leaning or slipping an arm around a shoulder so that they remain upright.

Eventually they get to shore, stumbling and unsteady on ground that doesn't move, yet it seems to sway in their visions anyway. Kyatapirā falls, and unable to keep her standing, Ibisu falls with her, dropping Kirin beside him. Jakkaru fights against his own tiredness, allowing himself to take a few deep breathes, recovering, before speaking. "Into the trees, then we rest," he says, prompting his team upward and forward. They do as he ask, not just because he asks but also because they know the necessity of hiding, especially when they are so injured.

Upon reaching a hidden ditch in the ground, the team stop. Jakkaru, the only one with enough chakra left, weaves a genjutsu around the camp and sets a water clone on watch – his sealed chakra being the only thing that keeps him moving. He knows better to heal any of his teammates in his current state, exhaustion would lead him to making a mistake which could be deadly. Besides, if his teammates hadn't dropped dead already, they wouldn't be doing so in the short time that they all slept.

And thus, without another thought, the jackal-masked ANBU slumped unconscious.

* * *

Jakkaru wakes up to his clone breaking down, soaking him in water. He huffs, frustrated but also finding it slightly humorous. Although, he's finding it slightly unbelievable that he thought it had been a good idea to set a clone on watch and let his teammates sleep even though it's possible that Ibisu has a concussion. Not his best moves of the day.

Standing up, Jakkaru looks around. The genjutsu has held, he can sense his own jutsu faintly, even if it's extremely weak. Thankfully, the rest has done him some good and he can feel chakra running through his body. He has numerous aches and pains, but the exhaustion that had settled into his bones is now only a slight tug in the back of his mind.

Jakkaru wakes up his teammates with a low flare of chakra. Ibisu and Kyatapirā come too quickly, but neither is tense or immediately go to attack him. "Injuries?" He asks quietly. "Ibisu, I want to do a quick check of your head as well."

Ibisu nods and stands in front of Jakkaru as the younger ANBU activates a medical jutsu. "Aching muscles, low chakra, sore head, but other than that, I'm fine," Ibisu responds. "I'm sure there are cuts and bruises, but nothing that warrants any attention."

The green glow fades from Jakkaru's hands. "Well, the good news is that your head seems fine. However, I'm not a qualified medic or have much expertise, so there's a chance I am wrong, so take it easy and be careful. Make sure you get it checked out when we return to Konoha."

"Hai," Ibisu replies. "Kyatapirā, are you injured?"

"Same as you – low chakra, aches and pains, but nothing major. I'm exhausted, but that's just from the chakra exhaustion. My chakra is recovering, but slowly, and there's no need to use a chakra pill," Kyatapirā answers. "Jakkaru, are you alright? You took a band hit to the sternum."

"Bruised, aching, but that seems about it," comes the response.

"What are we going to do about Kirin-chūi and Taichō?" Kyatapirā asks in the silence that follows.

"I can take the paralysis seal off," Jakkaru says slowly, "but I can replace it with a chakra draining seal so that they can't use anything but taijutsu. If we talk to Taichō first we might be able to gain a better understanding of the situation."

"Go for it," Ibisu advises, and Jakkaru tears his ankle wrapping a bit more, getting enough fabric to sketch a chakra draining seal in blood on it. Jakkaru places the seal on Eruku, deactivating the paralysis seal and activating the new seal, barely a second between the exchanging of the two seals. Eruku jerks upright, hands instantly testing the rope around her wrists.

"Where's Kirin-chūi?" Eruku immediately asks.

"She's paralysed," Jakkaru responds. "What happened to you?"

"I was fighting Kirin-chūi when you all left, and then the genjutsu master stepped in. He used a genjutsu and I couldn't fight back. It was as if my will had been leached from me and I couldn't do anything but follow what the genjutsu demanded of me," Eruku quickly explains. "What happened after that?"

Jakkaru waves his hand. "Not important," he says, turning to face the other two rookies, making sure to keep Eruku in his peripheral.

"Her story matches up," Kyatapirā points out. "There's no indications of her lying." Ibisu nods in agreement.

"Alright then," Jakkaru says, deactivating the chakra draining seal, and burning it with a small bit of fire chakra. "Taichō, shall we take the paralysis seal off of Kirin-chūi? I'm assuming her story is the same as yours." Eruku nods, and Jakkaru deactivates Kirin's seal, burning it in his hands as Ibisu cuts through Eruku's ties.

Kirin comes to rapidly, eyes wild, hands rising to defend from an invisible attack. She looks around, shoulder tensing as she spots her team. "Knock me out," she instantly pleads. "He'll take control and I'll be forced to kill you."

"He's dead," Ibisu says dispassionately. "No genjutsu has a hold over you currently."

"You don't understand, ever since we first separated he's been able to control me. I knocked out Ibisu-kun and then forgot seconds later when I reported back to the rest of you. You can't _trust_ me," Kirin says in a feverish manner. "I can't trust myself."

"Kirin-chūi, the genjutsu master is dead," Jakkaru says. "Ibisu cut off his head and he was already poisoned. There's no way he can take control over you. Your chakra system is your own."

Despite Jakkaru's words, Kirin shakes her head. "There's no knowing what underlying mental trigger that bastard put in my head," she replies. "I can't do this anymore. I can't trust myself."

"Jakkaru-kun, what happened once you left Kirin-chūi and myself?" Eruku asks, causing Kirin to fall silent.

With a hidden frown at Kirin, Jakkaru starts to explain, "The three of us hid ourselves to come up with a plan. We decided that Kyatapirā and Ibisu would attack the genjutsu master, and one of my summons would poison them. However, the poison would take ten minutes until they would die, so we would need to engage the genjutsu ninja in a fight for that long. Whilst that occurred, I snuck in, paralysing both you and Kirin-chūi with a paralysing seal and killing the civilian in charge. I then aided Ibisu and Kyatapirā in their attacks. However, I'm assuming that the genjutsu master figured out that they had been poisoned or something, as they activated a ninjutsu that caused an earthquake. We then worked on freeing the enslaved people and ensuring our whole team made it out alive. Four civilians were left when the caves fully collapsed, presumably killing them."

Eruku nods, but doesn't say something. The team is quiet for a few moments, Ibisu and Kyatapirā knocking shoulders with Jakkaru, and still no one speaks. "You did your best," Eruku says quietly, like that made it all worth it, _(it didn't help)_. "Is everyone capable of returning to Konoha? I want to report to Hokage-sama as fast as possible." Everyone nods.

"Alright. I'll take point, Jakkaru-kun I want you watching our backs. Ibisu-kun, Kyatapirā-chan, both of you take the sides, I don't mind which. Kirin-chūi, you're in the middle. Let's move out."

* * *

They return to Konoha without any difficulty. They report to the Hokage, to the ANBU Commander. They are told to rest and recover. They are told they will be called upon later, for more details. They are told to do this and that, yet Toru _(not Jakkaru despite the buzzing beneath his skin, the adrenaline that has yet to fade, the ANBU mindset that isn't quick to let go of his mind)_ finds himself unwilling to return home, to the apartment filled with silence, and he doesn't feel as if he can trust himself at the moment, on edge, _(a trigger waiting to be pushed)_.

He's in his team's ANBU room. Tsune Yamanaka – Kirin – had left quickly, their captain following shortly afterward needed for more reports. Souma had said a quiet goodbye to Toru before leaving, heading to the hospital for a proper medical check-up after his head injury.

Toru sighs, falling onto the couch in the room, loneliness invading every corner of his mind, creeping inward, encircling him like a shark watching its prey. "Toru," Sora says in surprise, exiting the locker room, "I didn't expect you would still be here."

"Didn't feel like going home," Toru replies, a half-hearted grin on his face. "Still coming down from the mission, I suppose."

"Ahh," Sora replies, before falling silent, as if unsure what to say or do. "I don't sup–"

"Don't let m–"

The pair stop, Toru chuckling awkwardly, ducking his head. "You go first."

"Do you want some company?" Sora asks bluntly. "I don't have anywhere better to be."

 _(She has nowhere to be, nowhere to go, but she isn't about to say this, doesn't want to; she still feels odd as a person, and it doesn't sit right with her – to say that she has nowhere to go. Everyone has somewhere to go, don't they?)_

"As long as you're amiable to having me in your company," Toru says. "I might not be the best conversationalist you've ever heard, though."

"That's okay," Sora says in response, sitting down a seat away from Toru, who turns and crosses his legs to look at her. Silence stretches between them, seconds turning to minutes, and Sora searches her mind for a topic to speak about. "Uzushiogakure," she says suddenly. Toru's eyebrows crinkle downwards, and Sora's cheeks warm. Ducking her head, she continues quietly, "You said once… you wouldn't mind talking about Uzushiogakure. Would you…?"

"Uzushio?" Toru shakes his head, "No, I don't mind at all. What do you want to know?"

Sora shrugs. "I don't know anything, so whatever you tell me will be new knowledge."

Toru hums, and leans back into the arm of the couch. Sora echoes his movements, relaxing and sinking further into the couch, consciously ensuring her muscles stay relaxed. "Uzushio's beginning, I guess, will be an ample place to start," he begins slowly. "In the beginning, during the Clan War Era, there was no Uzu no Kuni. It didn't exist. Where it would eventually form was empty ocean – no whirlpools, no islands, no anything. Uzushio was technically formed a year after Konoha, if I'm getting my history correct.

"What happened was that after the Senju and Uchiha clans formed an alliance and started building Konoha, the wars started becoming worse as everything grew more violent. This resulting in the Uzumaki Clan fighting more often and, ergo, using their seals more. The problem with this is that it meant that the Uzumaki Clan gained a reputation that incited fear – and so were attacked more often. The Uzumaki Clan were wanderers – more often than not – and this meant they didn't have a base to defend. It was a disadvantage, but that never stopped them from wandering.

"Following the lead of their sister clan, the Senju Clan, the Uzumaki reached out to other clans to form a place where they would be able to combine their might and be safe. The Uzumaki Clan reached out to the Akimizu and Mizushima clans. Now, the Mizushima and Akimizu clans lived on a coastline relatively close to one another, so already had an alliance, but this meant that they often had to deal with clans that sailed on the sea – such clans usually originated from Mizu no Kuni.

"That said, that's not really the point. The Uzumaki, Akimizu, and Mizushima clans all conversed about where the best place to form a village would be. The three clans eventually came to the conclusion that it should be an island so that they weren't being attacked by other clans on land – and at least you can see attackers if they're coming from the sea, right?"

Toru stops talking, a broken laugh leaving his mouth, "Although, by that thinking, they died." He shakes his head, and Sora has shifted, by this point in time, and is now sitting next to Toru. She leans her weight against him carefully, not sure why the Uchiha looks so grief stricken but wanting to help regardless. The closeness of her teammate means that she can feel his bodily warmth as she presses one side of her body against him. She hopes it helps to know that someone is nearby, that he isn't alone.

 _(It's all she's wanted sometimes, but instead she has been forced to clear her sister-like companion, forced to obey orders, forced to, forced to, forced to – she's no longer forced to.)_

"The Mizushima Clan's ability of water and the Akimizu Clan's knowledge of weather and currents – due to their kekkei genkai, I'm pretty sure – in conjunction with the Uzumaki Clan's knowledge of seals enabled the three clans to call islands up from the ocean. History tells us that the islands were already there, just below the surface of the water. The chakra required for such a deed…"

"How were they able to do it?" Sora asks with a frown, because holding up a cave with earth chakra is tiring enough, but calling up multiple islands from the sea? It sounded like something out of a myth, some fable created for children.

Toru blinks, and laughs with a shake of his head, brushing strands of hair out of his eyes. "I forgot to say why they chose the place they did, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Sora says softly, glancing at Toru's long hair. "Do you want me to braid your hair for you?" Toru's hair is out currently, falling below his shoulders with light waves. It seems more red than brown in the current lighting.

Toru selects a few strands of hair, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. "That'd be nice if you could," he gives her a look with an emotion she has yet to decipher _(and she hates that she doesn't understand all emotions, even after everything that- Well, even after everything)_.

"Sure, if you want to sit in front of me?" Toru nods, and moves himself so that he's sitting cross-legged between her legs, back against the bottom of the couch.

"I'm sorry about the state of my hair," he adds wryly, "It really needs to be washed."

Sora laughs, surprising them both with the sound, "That's alright," she says. "Mine's the same, and neither of us can afford to be vain with our jobs."

"No," Toru says with a chuckle, "I don't suppose we can be." Sora rakes her fingers through his hair, sorting out the worst of the tangles, before breaking it into sections. "Do you remember what I had just been talking about in regards to Uzushio?"

"Why Uzushio is where it is," Sora reminds him, half-concentrating on the task.

"That's right… The Uzumaki Clan had some amazing sensors, and few of the number were able to sense natural energy. The clan christened lines of natural energy deep beneath the earth's surface to be called ley lines. Uzushio is close to a crossover point between two such lines, resulting in a pool of natural energy. The Uzumaki Clan were able to create seals that implemented natural energy as the source of energy needed for the seal to work. That's how they managed to pull up the islands that formed Uzu no Kuni.

"After the construction of the islands, the three clans chose one area on one island to settle in – that's where Uzushio formed, or would eventually be formed. But, here's the thing – Uzushio was founded in the Clan Wars Era. It was near the end of the era, yeah, but there's still fighting going on – there was still _so much_ fighting.

"Uzushio hadn't been founded in battle, but there's blood split on her shores. Uzushio's beginning was bloody. You can't really afford to forget that point; for all of its peacefulness and nicety, Uzushio – like Konoha – had a bloody beginning.

"When islands rise from the sea without reason, without cause, you can imagine that people go to investigate. In times of war and battles, they do not come in peace. They come hungry, weapons unsheathed, blades sharp. They come with chakra sparking, adrenaline pumping. They come with beating hearts and blood singing. They… never ever leave the island. They land, yeah, but they attack the moment they see anyone and the clan members fight back, because of course they do – this is the way they live. You fight and fight and fight; you keep fighting. Those who come are cut down beneath the might of the three clans. That is the blood that soaks Uzushio's shores; it's Uzushio's bloody beginning.

"But, it's not all like that, y'know. While these three clans are creating houses and buildings and doing all the stuff that needs doing for a village to form, this clan lands on the back of the island where Uzushio sits. They'd heard of three islands forming and wanted to get away from the fighting – according to records, lost now but they existed once, this clan was made up of two families.

"There was a volcano on the island, don't think I mentioned that earlier, but there was this massive volcano with mountains nearby. The Akimizu Clan meets the other clan – the Takahashi Clan – on the base of that volcano. It's probably what saved their lives in the end, meeting at the base of that volcano. You see, they meet and the volcano starts smoking and threatening to erupt. Except, the Akimizu Clan and Takahashi Clan are able to slow the eruption, give themselves more time before anything actually occurs.

"The four clans – Uzumaki, Mizushima, Akimizu, and Takahashi – end up working together to put the volcano into stasis, which is what leads to the Takahashi Clan joining the other clans to form Uzushio." Toru falls silent, and Sora ties the braid after having redone it about ten times with different styles.

"Is that all?" She asks, slightly surprised. She would've thought there would be more about Uzushio's founding. "What about the whirlpools? A feudal lord? What about civilians? Surely there would have been more than just four clans making up Uzushio. What about the Asano Clan and the Abe Clan?"

"That's not the end," Toru says, standing up with a stretch and turning to look at her. A smile on his face, eyes light, and there's something different about him now – he seems more comfortable in his own skin, or perhaps less on edge; she can't tell. "It's a beginning, but only part of one. There's so much more to Uzushio. But, I think we have been here long enough, and perhaps we could go eat something better than rations for the first time in a while."

Sora hesitates, because this is something she's not used to, _(but sometimes you need to take a leap of faith and trust that your teammate will catch you)_. "Okay," she says, "I hope you're willing to pay for it, though. I don't have anything on me."

"In that case, I hope you don't mind omusubi then. It's the only place, other than a ramen stand, where I will be allowed to pick up the tab later," Toru says.

"Sounds good," Sora says. "I haven't omusubi in ages."

 _(By ages, she means she's never had it, but she doesn't want to reveal this to Toru who mightn't care, but she doesn't want pity. She wants to escape the word ROOT, and she can't d–)_

They pause, momentarily caught between ANBU and the rest of the world, and then they're walking through the door, walking side by side. Sora's mind flicks back to the mission they had just finished, how it had gone wrong in multiple ways, how she had been told–

 _(She was told to trust and this is what happened. She wants to trust, wants to with all her heart, but this has been the result – an unforeseen betrayal that there is no reason behind, and she is left with a pain her heart and unable to escape the heaviness that seems to have drenched her mind.)_

Without thinking about it, she finds herself asking, "How do you trust?" Only after she says it, does Sora realise how such a question is unlikely to be received well by her teammate.

 _(Of course, of course she goes to ask the one betrayed by his family, the one betrayed by his village, the one who was almost killed by ROOT. She has no tact, and that's just something else ROOT has taken from her.)_

Nevertheless, her teammate attempts to respond, and something in Sora grows warm, hopeful in place of something else. "It's hard," he begins slowly. "There are times when I almost regret it, but at the same time, I can't help but appreciate what had once been there because of the happy times that have passed, but also – often, it has given me something. Betrayal is never easy, it is hard, and it will always be unexpected. But this too – what comes of it; that's a choice you make."

"They told me to trust," Sora says voice breaking, and there's water dripping from her face and what the hell, this has never happened before. She wipes her eyes. Laughing brokenly, "They told me to trust and this happen and now look at me, I'm even crying."

She doesn't know when, but they've stopped walking, almost-hidden in the shadows of a two-story building. She hides her face in her eyes, trying to stop the tears, the feeling of her noise being blocked, the hiccups gripping her lungs tightly in their grasp. And then-

And then.

She's pulled forward, arms wrapping her torso. She lowers her face into Toru's braided hair, and gives up on trying to stop crying, deciding to let it all out. She wraps her own arms around the smaller boy, taking comfort from him.

"You can still trust after everything that happened," Toru says quietly, and she can just hear him above the sound of her own heavy breathing. "That's a decision you get to make and don't let anyone make it for you. But make sure that trust is earned, not freely given. And no matter what I say, you don't have to listen to it – that's another choice you get to make."

"Why does trusting mean hurting?"

"It doesn't always," Toru replies, "but sometimes it hurts because emotions mean pain. But pain reminds you that you're alive, and more often than not you just have to focus on the positives."

With half of a laugh, Sora lifts her head, stepping away from Toru. "Don't expect there's any easy answer, is there?"

"But if things were easy, then what would be the point?" Toru says with a shrug. "Now, let's go eat omusubi and forget about the mission and see how much food we can eat until we get physically sick."

Sora laughs, _(and thinks yeah, this might be okay)_. "Alright."

* * *

"Are you sure about this Kirin-chūi?" Hanako asks.

"Tsune now," Hanako's companion reminds her. "Besides, I was always going to retire. This is… just a bit earlier than expected."

"It's for other reasons to," Hanako reminds her _fellow_ former ANBU member.

"I can't be in ANBU if I can't trust my own mind," Tsune replies. "There's no other way to go about this."

Hanako sighs. "If you say so. The team will miss you, though."

"And I will miss them, but it's only an ANBU team. None of you ever really needed me."

"But it was an ANBU team," Hanako replies, "and that in and of itself negates the distance yearly team changes bring."

Tsune tilts her head in consideration before nodding, "I suppose so. Still, you can't change my mind."

"Not too surprising, all in all," Hanako says. "I don't think I ever believed I could. Nevertheless, have you figured a replacement?"

"I've thought about it a fair bit. Both Souma-kun and Sora-chan still have a long wait to go until they fully break their conditioning, not to mention their individual emotional issues."

"And Toru-kun?"

"He's hard to get a read of, I will admit," Tsune responds, "yet in spite of how he is younger and has less experience, the others followed him readily, and he has a steady head. He has the potential to be someone."

Hanako chuckles, "I don't think this was quite what our ANBU Commander expected when he let Toru-kun join the team."

"To be a lieutenant so soon and so quickly, that must be some kind of record," Tsune says, "barring, of course, legends and prodigies."

"The last person to do so was Itachi Uchiha," Hanako points out, and Tsune's facial expression drops slightly. "Nonetheless, it is an amazing achievement. I wonder how he'll take to being called Jakkaru-chūi?"

* * *

Souma drops his fist to his side, no longer needing to knock on the door seeing that Toru had already opened it. The younger shinobi blinks in surprise, "Did you want to spar?" He asks, before shaking his head. "I mean, hey Souma, did you want to spar?"

A small grin forms on Souma's face. "Just woken up?" He teases, and the words feel odd on his tongue, but fit – fit well.

"Feels like that," Toru replies, "I overdid it training yesterday, my chakra ended up being lower than I should've let it get. Still, needed to make breakfast for the boys and get them to the academy."

"Boys?" Souma echoes with a tilt of his head. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could talk to you?"

Toru stares at Souma, seeing something, before nodding his head. "Sure, you can come with me drop the boys off and then we can talk. Sasuke! Naruto! C'mon you're going to be late."

A small boy with yellow hair bursts out the door, ramming into Souma, who instantly steadies the young child. "Sorry!" The child says, beaming up with a grin at Souma. "I gotta beat Kiba to class or he's gonna call me slow all day and-then-I'm-gonna-havetofighthimandIruka-senseiwillgetallupsetand–"

"Breathe, Naruto," Toru says gently. "Sasuke, let's go!"

"Coming, Toru!" A voice calls back from the apartment.

"It's perfectly alright," Souma says in amusement. He looks up at Toru, "Are your mornings always like this?"

Rubbing his eyes, Toru shakes his heads. "Only in mornings where I'm unorganised, such as today."

"Naruto's always like this," a second child says, exiting the apartment. He turns to look up at Toru, "I refilled the water bowls – you forgot. Ken's sleeping again and Haruto's out from last night. Aki and Teisatu want a walk; are they coming with?"

Toru rolls his eyes, messes up the second kid's hair, and whistles, grabbing two dog leashes from somewhere inside. "Yeah, alright brat. But this means you're doing homework when you get home rather than physical training, got it?"

In response, the kid grumbles but doesn't say anything else. "Good sport," Toru says. "You both got lunch? Good, let's go. Souma, take Aki's leash." Souma finds a leash pushed into his hand, and his fingers automatically curl around it. He looks at Toru in bewilderment, but the younger shinobi doesn't do anything else but smile. "Kids, this is Souma, one of my recent teammates. Souma, Naruto's the blonde one and Sasuke's the dark-haired brat. They're good kids, but problematic." Toru smiles at Souma like he's sharing a joke, and Souma doesn't know what to do. He tries to smile back at Toru and hopes that it works.

"G'mornin' Souma-san!" Naruto says cheerfully, "It's good ta meet you. Toru's the best, isn't he?"

"Watch your diction, Naruto," Toru responds.

"Don't see why it's needed," Naruto says, folding his arms. "Dic- Diec- Speaking properly ain't important to be a ninja."

"Appearances are important, and diction helps present yourself in a certain manner," Toru replies. "Souma agrees, don't you?" He nudges Souma.

"Diction does help present yourself in ways to influence others to complete your mission," Souma says.

"See? Good ninjas have good diction," Toru explains.

"Well, since I'm going to be the best, I'm going to have the best dic-tion," Naruto says decisively.

"I'll be better than you," Sasuke says smugly, nudging Naruto with his elbow.

"Na-uh," Naruto replies.

"I will," Sasuke promises.

"Sakura-chan will definitely have better diction then you!" Naruto says a moment later, pointing at Sasuke. "Sakura-chan is the best!"

"No way!" Sasuke shouts back. "You're just saying that because you have a crush on Sakura-chan!"

"Gross! I don't! That's just icky!"

"Admit it!"

"Are they always like this?" Souma asks softly.

Toru sighs, "Try living with them. They're always trying to one-up each other, but they can also be the best of friends when they decide to work together. Sasuke, Naruto – no fighting! Sasuke, don't fight with your friends and try to manipulate them. Naruto, stop starting fights with Sasuke. Now, hurry up and get to class, you've got two minutes until Iruka will be there." Naruto yelps and takes off, meanwhile Sasuke sends Toru an unhappy look before following his friend.

"Seems like you can control them just fine," Souma replies. Toru hums.

"What was it you wanted to speak to me about?" He asks after they've left the Ninja Academy behind. Souma rubs his hand, red crests of scars were peppered around his knuckles – a reminder of Kirin turning on him, a reminder of Ibisu's returning punch.

"It's… not important."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't matter," Toru says in reply. "People have subjective perspectives – if it matters to you that can make it important. You're allowed to be important, you know?"

"No," Souma says bluntly. "But I think I'm starting to understand."

"That's always a good place to start," Toru replies. He's silent for a few moments, and Souma doesn't know how to breach the quiet that lies between them. "You know," Toru begins, "I was honestly surprised when Naruto said sorry to you."

"Does he not apologise often?" Souma asks with a confused expression.

Toru laughs, "That's not what I meant at all. I forgot to explain the context behind it all. It surprised me because he looked up at you when he did it. Go back a few months, go back a year, and he was shy of strangers. Wary of them, scared of them even if he never showed it. Yet, he looked up at you and smiled when he said sorry. He was still unsure, but he did it all anyway. It's amazing to think of how far he's come."

"You love the pair of them, don't you?"

Toru smiles with a shrug, "Without a doubt. We're family, and none of us can deny that."

"How do you trust them after what Itachi did you and your clan?"

"They're no Itachi," Toru says with a frown. "It would be irresponsible of me to think that they are. They're children first and foremost. They aren't perfect, but no one is. We all have our flaws. They try, though, and that's what I focus on. We're all changing, and sometimes you have to give people a second chance – or, maybe, a sixth one."

"What if you don't think you can trust anyone in the future? Can you lose the ability to trust people in the future?" Souma asks in response.

"I think that that's a choice only you can make. I think that everyone needs someone to trust, but trust – it can be hard. There's a multitude of reasons why I can still trust, and there's reason why I trust the people I do. People have to earn your trust, and sometimes people find it easier to withhold that trust. Sometimes it helps people, sometimes it doesn't. It doesn't help you if you have no one you can turn to, we all need someone from time to time."

Souma swallows. "Trusting in future teammates – after everything that's happened, I don't know if I can do that," he says quietly, whispering it like a secret he isn't allowed to have.

"You're allowed to not trust in the future, but you can overcome this. You don't have to, but you can if you want to. The future isn't set in stone. Yeah, maybe your ability to trust has been impacted, but that doesn't mean it's no longer there. You're just going to have to find your way, and that's always going to be hard. We've got a hard life in front of us Souma, and it's not going to wait for us to be ready. Sometimes we just have to make do with what we have."

"Do you think we'll manage?" Souma asks.

Toru thinks over the past mission, of Tsune's betrayal and subsequent retreat from the ANBU Corp, of Hanako's now unsure decisions, of Sora's closeness, of Souma's trust. He thinks of being left for dead, of children turned into soldiers without a choice, of a man corrupted by future fears that he becomes a monster. He thinks of being left for dead in a compound of those who weren't family but were meant to be. He thinks of Uzushio falling and Uzushio refusing to die. He thinks of all those he's ever trusted and those he's been betrayed by, he thinks of love and of friendships and of families.

Uzushio was not born of battle, but it had bathed in blood. In the end, though, Uzushio had not been blood born of battle, but family relations and friendships that might as well have been blood ties. Toru's Uzushio is the one where survivors dare to laugh and smile and be happy in the face of the bitter, shadowy world that surrounds them. It could be considered fitting, perhaps, that Toru's Uzushio can also be found in Konoha.

* * *

 **And to trust someone gives room for betrayal, but betrayal does not necessarily spell the end of all as you know it. There is an aftermath, but you can survive it. For loneliness does not equate to being alone, and although learning to be a person is hard, it can be done.  
In a story, where Toru was meant to die, he dares to live and smile.  
Is that not the goal of life?**

* * *

 _ **I finally finished this book! This was the longest chapter as well, about 8100 words all up. I doubt I'll have much to say in this author's note, but I might as well see what there is to say. I'm sure I'll have a bit to talk about in regards to the latter events.**_

 _ **The mission itself - it's kind of brushed over how the ANBU team left four civilians to die, and while that's largely because I was unable to put it in and have it fit, it's also because Kyatapira (Sora) and Ibisu (Souma) don't have terrible reactions to it - you can tell that they care, but not enough to impact them terribly (plus, they're still suffering from the consequence of being betrayed). Jakkaru (Toru) is exhausted both mentally, physically, and emotionally. His response is to ignore it for now, and that's Not A Good Coping Mechanism. His counting down shows how desperate he is, but he's quickly able to accept the moment where it becomes pointless. It's not a good mindset by any means, but he's an ANBU member and he was never going to meet our morals and sympathy. There is a side of him that refuses to share its empathy and sympathy with those he isn't close to. Also, yeah, he was Very Dumb with how he went about setting up camp and ignored multiple factors (Ibisu's head injuries, Kyatapira's chakra exhaustion which could've killed her, and he set up a water clone as a guard). He does recognise that, though, so he's learning.**_

 _ **Sora and Toru get a good bonding session, and you can see how far she's come as a character and as a person. I feel like both her and Souma's character development might be changing rapidly (especially in comparison to Sai), but then again, they're going through different experiences and are different people and it's still a work-in-progress, if you know what I mean? I got to chuck some of my worldbuilding in there as well about Uzushio, there'll be more to come - I have over 1000 words of information on Uzushio that will somehow make its way into this series. (Also, kudos to DarkScarletRose to giving me so many ideas and helping me figure out all the worldbuilding - or, at the very least, prompting me to write notes down; I swear I'll explain ley lines in greater detail at another time).**_

 _ **So, yeah, Kirin/Tsune Yamanaka retires from ANBU. She was always going to, although I didn't initially expect it to be after their first mission as a team. But yeah, she doesn't trust herself and she can't be in ANBU and not trust herself. That just wouldn't work out particularly well.**_

 _ **Souma also gets a bonding moment with Toru. And yes, I'm just creating better friendships between the three rookies because I love them all and they deserve to have good friendships and be happy. Souma meets Toru's kids as well, and I love that.**_

 _ **With Sora and Souma - they've both got worse trust issues again. Sora's hurting and unsure but willing to continue to try and trust, and Souma's just decided against trusting completely. He plans to only trust those who he already trusts - so, basically, Toru and Sora. It's sad for all of them (and that's not even thinking about Toru's own numerous issues with trust).**_

 _ **I wasn't entirely sure about the ending (it might have been because I was writing this late because I wanted to finish it despite being exhausted and having planned to go to bed like an hour earlier). I'm not sure if I'm happy with it, but I think I still like it.**_

 _ **The next book in the series is called Ocean's Own Stories - it's filler chapters and events that take place between this book and the next book that contains plot (and where canon would originally have started!) and allows me to show the various changes and so forth. I'll put up a single chapter of that book following the publishing of this, and I'll put the first chapter of the third book (technically fourth, but eh) up as well - it'll be called Tideswept.**_


End file.
